Thinking Out Loud
by Astrid Holt
Summary: Shelby Bates grew up with the Brothers Winchester. Fighting alongside them and saving the day when needed, she was living the life she loved with the man she loved. Until a dark family secret comes out and she is stolen from under Dean's nose. Dean struggles to live without her, the only one who ever made him feel like he was worth something, until she shows up years later. DeanXOC
1. Somethin' Bad

_**Chapter One: Somethin' Bad**_

 _ **Stand on the bar, stomp your feet, start clappin'**_

 _ **Got a real good feelin' somethin' bad about to happen.**_

 _ **-Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood**_

"Shelby, hey I was wondering if yo-"

"Jesus Dean, knock next time!" The tall, tanned brunette flung herself on the other side of the musty bed as a twenty year old Dean Winchester barged in the cheap motel room. Instead of turning around like any courteous young gentleman would do in this situation, he stood with his hip cocked and his arms crossed over his chest, with a smirk gracing his lips. The green-eyed man waited a few seconds before speaking.

"You can come out anytime, you know. Nothing I haven't seen before." Shelby rolled her eyes. She could just hear Dean's grin when he called over to her.

"There's a difference between the cheap hookers you bring here every other weekend and the body I work hard to maintain. Thank you very much!" Dean chuckled softly, shaking his head as he turns around. He stared hard at the blinking vacancy light outside the dusty window as he spoke.

"Sorry, just thinkin' out loud. You can come out now Shelby. I'm not looking." Shelby poked her head above the flowery patterned comforter and arched an eyebrow as she quickly grabbed the black sports bra and gray tank top off the bed. She ducked down behind the bed and quickly pulled them on before she snapped back up.

"Okay loser, I'm decent. What did you need? Are John and my dad back yet?" She had a nervous look in her eyes as she asked about their dads. Last time she saw them it was as she ran out of the motel room a few towns back, angry tears in her eyes because they wouldn't take her to the nest where the vampire that had killed a little girl, whom Shelby had taken quite a liking to, was residing. Dean grimaced. That memory was not the best. Both of their dads had refused to take the young woman on the hunt with them. Dean had been on Shelby's side; she was the best hunter out of their little posse. He didn't know why, she had the same training as Dean did. She just seemed like more of a natural when it came to destroying monsters. He shook his thoughts about the huntress away and replied.

"No. I haven't heard from them since yesterday. They caught another hunt so they won't be back for at least another week." Dean smiled when Shelby sat down on the bed with a relieved sigh. She pulled back her long, curly, dark brown hair into a high ponytail, glancing at Dean, who cleared his throat as she raised an eyebrow in questioning. Dean continued.

"Anyway. I was thinking that the bar down the street looked like it had a couple of cowboys just asking for you to kick their ass in pool." At those words Shelby smiled brilliantly. Dean looked away after a second and cleared his throat again, waiting for more of an answer than her sneaky smile.

"Hell yeah! Just let me change. I can go for a run later I guess." Dean nodded and went over to the t.v. and flipped it on, then ungracefully flopped onto the couch. Waiting for Shelby to change, Dean called Bobby's house to see how Sam was doing. No answer. That wasn't unusual. Bobby was always reading up on different legends for the other hunters and Sam was probably holed up in the tiny upstairs spare bedroom with his nose in his school books, trying to live a 'normal high schooler's life'. Dean snorted and rolled his eyes as he put the cell phone back on the side table just as Shelby came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a loose fitting black tank top with a gray rose on the front. The blue jean cut-off shorts seemed to elongate her tan, toned legs, which were thick from all the running she did. Shelby would always comment on how much she hated her legs, Dean would just snort and roll his eyes. Silently reassuring her she had nothing to worry about.

She was only nineteen but when she went out to the bars, no one asked any questions. She knew how to dress for the occasion. Dean stared at the lean brunette as she slipped two black flower and dragon bracelets around her left wrist. She needed her right wrist cleared for pool. Shelby could feel her companions stare as she buckled her rhinestone studded black belt. She knew the men stared, and sometimes it made her feel self-conscious. But if she wanted to make sure her and Dean ate that week, she needed to look good and innocent while she hustled the bar patrons for their money.

Shelby turned around to look at herself in the dirty mirror while Dean mumbled something about using the toilet before they leave. She sat down on the bed to pull on her stenciled grey, well worn cowgirl boots. Going along with the rose theme for tonight she had black rose studs in her ears and a multi-string beaded necklace. Her final touches were her black rose ring with diamonds lining the petals. She sighed. Her mom loved roses. She stared at herself in the mirror. What would her mom think of her if she saw her now? Hustling guys in dinky bars for money. She smiled a bit. Her mom was one of the best hunters this side of the states. Her dad used to tell her stories growing up about how her momma would bring home the bread and butter for their little family. He'd say most guys would be jealous the way she would walk around hustling money, but he knew her momma would always love her dad and no other man. Shelby's smiled brightened a bit at the thought of how much her parents loved each other. Dean cleared his throat for the umpteenth time that night.

"You look fine, Princess." Shelby rolled her clear green eyes as she turned from the mirror and walked past him. He eyed her figure as she swayed out the door letting her pony tail down and ruffling her curly hair as she headed towards her dad's royal blue '69 Camaro. Dean rubbed his hands on his pants and jogged out to meet her, slamming the motel door behind him.

"I'll drive there if you drive back." Dean nodded to the girl as she slid into the driver's seat and turned the engine over. They both smiled widely when the engine roared mightily back at them. They had changed the oil, replaced the carburetor, and changed the breaks for most of the morning. Happy with their work, Shelby threw the American classic into drive and peeled out onto the gravel road, ready to hustle some drunks.

 **-TOL-**

Walking into the dimly lit bar, Shelby headed straight towards the pool tables and grabbed a stick, smiling towards the two young men standing near the empty table. They tipped their cowboy hats a little drunkenly before sharing a look and each grabbing a stick. Dean watched the scene unfold with hard eyes. Shelby could handle herself but that never stopped him from trying to be protective over her. It was a habit after knowing her for almost ten years. His hand instinctively padded his front right pocket, where he felt the familiar bump of her birthday present. Tomorrow, she turned twenty.

Dean smiled openly as he watched Shelby reach around one of the cowboys sensually to grab the cue ball. His friend bumped his shoulder as they watched her bend over to break the balls up. Their smiles faded when almost all of them went in. Her father had taught her well. After about fifteen minutes of watching Shelby crush the Cowboy's dreams of the night, Dean turned away as a pretty blonde passed by, smiling at him. He looked back at the only constant in his life, questioning if she would be okay for a bit.

He smirked as she held her hand out towards the taller of the two men who had lost horribly. He handed her a wad of twenty dollar bills and walked away solemnly. She looked towards him before rolling her eyes at the blonde standing behind him and laughed, which was her way of saying 'go have your fun'. Dean only hesitated for a moment before the blonde tapped him on the shoulder. Might as well find something to distract him from his huntress for a while. _Wait, his?_

Shelby sighed as she watched Dean walk out the back door of the bar with the slutty looking blonde. _Typical Dean Winchester_ she thought with a little more sting than she would have liked. She ignored the catch in her throat and counted her wad of cash stoically. She finished and turned around as a couple of bikers eyed the pool tables. She smiled innocently as she sauntered up to them. They looked like fun.

"Hello, boys. Care for a friendly game of pool? I'm trying to practice a bit before my sister gets here." Shelby winked at the end of her sentence. The bikers glanced at her and smiled like the Cheshire Cat. Nodding, they walked past her a little roughly and grabbed some sticks, nodding to her to get the balls ready.

She played her routine like normal, only after collecting the four hundred dollars she had just hustled out of them, they didn't just walk away like the cowboys had. Shelby thanked the men and backed away as calmly as she could while still looking like she wasn't slightly freaking out at the look the older bikers were giving her. Figuring this was a good distance to turn and hightail it outta there, she did just that, only instead of setting eyes on the front door, Shelby came face to... chest with a third biker she hadn't noticed earlier. The guy was easily six and a half feet tall, making her five foot ten frame look slightly silly against him. She groaned internally, knowing they would be taking back the four hundred, and probably the two hundred she made from the cowboys earlier.

The third biker, who was sporting a mohawk and tattoos up the sides of his head, growled and grabbed Shelby's upper arms hard, most definitely trying to leave a bruise. Shelby didn't think then, she only acted. She slammed her head into the bikers chin and kneed him in the family jewels. Distracted by the kick, his hands left her arms. Shelby only had time to turn around as the first biker came towards her quickly. He also towered over her and it only slightly intimidated her after her face off with Mr. Tattoo. She smirked and ducked out of his reaching arms, sliding under a bar table and jumping over the pool table.

The second biker, who had tear drop tattoos on his face, screamed before he took his pool stick and swept the young hunter off her feet. This attracted the bartenders attention to the scramble going on and he yelled at the biker. Shelby took the advantage of the distracted creep to grab a beer bottle and smash it over his bald head. She practically flew out the back door of the bar as she heard sirens in the far distance. She opened the passenger side door of her dad's car and roughly grabbed the blonde by her bra strap and yanked her out of the car, landing her on her ass on the asphalt. The bimbo barely had time to catch her top before Shelby's voice rang out, yelling at Dean to DRIVE.

 **-TOL-**

Dean had been having a good ole time forgetting about a familiar brunette huntress until that certain someone literally yanked it from his hands. Shelby mumbled something about never dying her hair blonde for the sake of not being prowled on by Dean. He peered over at the young girl.

"What was that sweetheart; you know mumbling is unbecoming." Shelby scoffed at Dean's sentence before retorting,

"You heard me, ass. I was just _thinking out loud_." She lowered her voice the best she could to match Deans, which only made him laugh loudly. He turned his head back to the wet pavement and flipped on the windshield wipers. The warm Georgia night finally had the rain the weatherman had been talking about all week. He glanced at the turn for their motel, and did nothing but press the gas harder, driving right past the ugly neon sign.

"Dean, I would really appreciate it if you could turn around. I've not had a good night." Dean looked over at the brunette. She did have a rough night. She could handle herself, sure. But that didn't mean she never felt horrible after the fact. Dean had seen her take down many monsters and not bat an eye. But humans, preferably of the male species were a whole other story for her. Especially when they weren't falling at her feet. Which she seemed oblivious to anyway.

Dean decided not to push her buttons tonight. She was already shaking. He looked at her face in the passing street lamp glow. She was beautiful but she would never say that; and Dean didn't know _how_ to say that. Sure, he slept around with girls a lot. But that was easy, he wasn't worried about what they thought about him. He didn't count on them to save his ass when he tried to go into a djinn nest alone. He smirked at the memory and kept driving. He needed to wait out the cops.

"I'm just gonna drive around the block a couple of times. Don't need to cops finding where our little hustler is staying now do we?" Shelby smiled sheepishly. After looking back out the window as they passed various store fronts and street lights, Shelby slid over to the middle of the front seat and laid her head on Dean's shoulder. Dean smiled softly, finding himself wishing this happened more often, instead of when she was scared; Shelby silently wishing she was brave enough to do this when she wasn't freaked out.

By the time Dean deemed it safe enough to head back to their room, Shelby had fallen asleep. Dean picked her up bridal style and walked slowly to the room. Opening the door as gently as he could without waking Shelby, Dean slipped inside before gliding to the bed and laying the huntress on the ugly patterned comforter. He smiled gently as she rolled over immediately and started to snore lightly. _Ha, she owes me ten bucks_. Dean pulled her boots off and pulled the heavy cover off of his bed for her, since she was laying on top of hers. Dean slept hot anyway, so he wouldn't need them.

Heading over to his bed he pulled his own boots off and crawled onto the hard mattress. He was almost asleep when Shelby started whimpering. Dean immediately got out of his bed and laid down next to the sleeping girl, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing circles on her back methodically. She stopped her whimpering after a few minutes and Dean sighed, trying to slide out from under her. After he stopped her nightmares most nights he crawled quietly back to his own bed, not wanting to impose on her sleep any more than helping her.

He stopped trying to wriggle out of her hold when she tightened it and spoke. If her face wasn't resting in the crook of his arm he wouldn't have heard her whisper one word.

"Stay."

 **-TOL-**

 **Well, I revamped the whole story I have written so far. Sorry for the ones who had been following it! I finally got over my writers block! Yay! Let me know what you thought please! Reading reviews fuels my writing fire! Thanks! Gooseygirl**


	2. You're Not Alone

_**Chapter Two: You're Not Alone**_

 _ **Some days I just can't go on**_

 _ **I stumble and fall**_

 _ **And I hang my head**_

 _ **But You reach out for my hand**_

 _ **And You lift me up**_

 _ **Again and again**_

 _ **Oh, yes, You do**_

 _ **-Owl City ft. Britt Nicole**_

Dean sighed happily. He didn't know when he met the Bates' that he would come to care so much for the girl who annoyed the hell out of him as soon as they met. He had known Shelby for nearly ten years of their lives. In 1989, John was following up on a lead about the demon who murdered Mary.

 **-TOL-**

While driving down a dark back road heading to what he hoped would be a motel, John Winchester sighed angrily at his rearview mirror. His two sons were bickering in the back seat, seat belts long forgotten. He didn't have the energy for these two.

"Dean! Control yourself son. Buckle your brother back in and get in your own seat. You hear me? So help me if you don't, I'll pull this car over and make you two walk to the motel!" John eyed his eldest son angrily through the rearview mirror before Dean sniffled a bit and pushed Sam back down into his car seat. Just as Dean buckled his own seatbelt, he lurched to the side, hitting his shaved head on the side of Sam's own shaggy one. Rubbing his own head while checking his little brother over, Dean asked his dad what happened. Only to be answered by a growl and slamming of the Impala door. The two boys' heads popped into view of the window and looked out into the rainy night. A royal blue Camaro sat perpendicular to their own car, smoke coming out of the hood and the hood slightly tee pee'd.

While John looked over the damage of the body on his car, the other man walked up and held his hand out with an old receipt from a gas station. It had chicken scratch on the back; probably the driver's insurance information. John shifted angrily. His poor Baby, he had just had it washed. He grabbed the receipt out of the man's hand. He paused. Was that?

"Are you a hunter?" John asked with surprise in his voice. Hearing his dad, Dean got out and walked around to the other side of the Impala, looking up at the scruffy man in the leather jacket. Dean followed his father's line of sight to the mystery man's wrist, where a braided leather bracelet with an anti-possession pendant tied into it. A squeak came from the uninjured side of the Impala. A second later, Sam came up by Dean and grabbed his hand. He was still a bit shocked by the impact. Dean shrugged him off and walked away when his father gave them a look, telling them to get back into the car.

"What?" Is all the verbal response John got back. His question was answered when the man's hand slowly went behind his back.

"Whoa, whoa man. No need for a gun. I'm not the boogeyman. I'm the guy who hunts him. John Winchester." John said with a tight smile, slightly forgiving the fellow hunter for the impact on his car. The man huffed quietly and shoved his hand out to shake John's.

"Sorry 'bout that. Can't be too careful. Name's Colt Bates. And this-" Colt said, turning around to behind his Camaro and reaching into the shadows,

"Is Shelby, my daughter. Shelby, mind your manners now. What would your momma say?" Colt lightly scolded the young brunette, who had silent tears running down her eyes. She looked up at John through her eyelashes and sniffled, then held out her hand to the large man.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. John." The shy girl said. John shook her hand, eyebrows raising ever so slightly at how firm the handshake was coming from such a small girl. After releasing her hand, John called for his boys to come back around.

"Now boys, this here is Colt Bates and his daughter Shelby. They're going to ride back with us to a motel and we're gonna come back tomorrow to tow his car." At the words coming from the legendary hunter's mouth, Colt stilled.

"Nonsense John, we can call a cab-" While the two older men discussed what to do with the vehicles and such, the three young children looked at each other tensely.

"Hi, I'm Shelby. What are your names?" Shelby looked at Sam and Dean with her bright green eyes, tears still coming down but getting less frequent. Dean scoffed at the crying girl, What a wussy! He thought. Shelby just ignored him and looked at the short, brown haired boy next to the mean blonde one. He smiled shyly at her and introduced himself,

"I'm Sam, it's nice to meet you. This is Dean, my big brother. He can be a jerk sometimes." That made Shelby smile a little and Sam chuckled, while Dean crossed his arms over his chest and stomped back the Impala. He slammed the door to the back seat. Shelby and Sam shared a small smile.

The slamming door grabbed the two mens attention and John grumbled while Colt smiled a bit. They had decided to drive back in the Impala, since it had less damage to it. Colt unloaded some essentials from his car and loaded them in the trunk of Johns ride. He whistled softly at the impressive arsenal in the demon-warded trunk. He'd have to take note of some of the items in there.

The car ride to the motel was filled with the quiet chatter of the men talking about what they needed to fix the cars. Dean noticed that John had relaxed and seemed to have forgotten about the yellow-eyed demon for the time being. He was okay with that. Anytime John caught wind of that thing, Sam and Dean took the brunt of his frustration when he lost the trail, which happened more often than not. Maybe this dude and his wussy daughter would distract him long enough for a break.

Dean scoffed when Shelby's head fell on his shoulder as they rounded the corner for a motel. Sam and her had fallen asleep about 10 minutes into the ride. He ignored the cold feeling he got when Colt picked Shelby up from the middle of the back seat.

 **-TOL-**

Almost as if she was reading his mind, the warmth from his left side disappeared when Shelby bolted out of her position gasping his name in terror. Another nightmare. Dean shifted to a more comfortable position and glanced at Shelby sidelong. She had tears in her eyes, much like the night they met. Only this time Dean didn't think of her as a wussy.

"Sorry, Dean." She murmured. Dean nodded his acceptance and rolled out of the bed. Shelby pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She eyed Dean carefully as he padded the kitchenette and started the coffee pot. He then walked over to his duffel and grabbed a few things before heading into the bathroom. Before he shut the door, he heard a soft 'thank you' leave Shelby's lips. He turned slightly and gave her a soft, half-smile.

"Anytime, Princess." Shelby's mood lightened at the nickname he had given her years ago, while she was in her pony-wanting stage. She gave him a warm smile as he turned around and shut the bathroom door. She checked the time. three p.m. Damn, we slept longer that I would have liked. Shelby watched the coffee brew as her thoughts flew back to her dream. One she had often.

 **-TOL-**

Breathe, Shelby. Just breathe.

But she couldn't, the cold water surrounding her at all angles wouldn't allow it. She looked down at her hand, which was connected to her mother's bigger one. She followed the tan skin up her mother's arm and to her face, to her closed eyes. This wasn't right. She should be looking at bright green eyes. And her mother's skin should be a deep tan, not turning pale.

Tired. So tired. Right as Shelby closed her eyes she felt someone grab her harshly from above. Dragging her up.

Breathe, Shelby. Just breathe.

"Damn it Shelby. Wake up. I can't lose you." Shelby swam out of the darkness and towards the familiar voice and gorgeous green eyes. But not her mothers.

"Dean." She shot up, gasping for air.

 **-TOL-**

The real memory didn't quite match the nightmare she always had. It was her dad's bright blue eyes and his deep, gruff voice that met her when she awoke. Fifteen years ago., her mother drowned. Sucked down by something supernatural while trying to rescue Shelby when she leaned too far over the lake's dock. Her family had been on a short vacation in Arizona. Colt and Amelia had just taken out a huge vampire nest and decided to celebrate. To this day they never found out what had grabbed Shelby off the dock and ultimately took her mother. To this day she still hadn't stopped blaming herself.

Ever since she and Dean had started to get along, her nightmare changed. To his voice, his eyes. Rescuing her. She had long since told him and Sam about her mother's mysterious death. And Dean knew about her regular nightmares. She still never told him about his appearance in it. She was too embarrassed.

She heard the shower turn off and glanced at Dean as he stepped out of the bathroom, clad in a blotchy green towel. Shelby averted her eyes from Dean's bare chest. She had seen the smooth slab of skin so many times before, she wouldn't be able to count. But after her dream she felt jumpy around him. Dean looked her way while he moved to the dresser by his bed and grabbed the clothes he would need for the day. Shelby cleared her throat before grabbing her workout clothes and disappearing into the bathroom. Dean dressed, smirking to himself the whole time. He loved to tease her.

Shelby wiped last nights makeup away from her face and pulled her knotted hair back in a high, messy bun. She pulled on her black shorts and grey tank top before splashing some cold water on her face to wake her up a bit. After brushing her teeth, the brunette opened the door to a fully dressed Dean on his laptop.

"I'm gonna go for a run. Wanna come?" Dean shook his head no and continued to check the internet. Probably looking for a lead. Shelby sighed. She was itching for a case, but she wanted to enjoy this day, especially after everything that had happened last night. Grabbing a twenty dollar bill from her brown leather book bag she smirked.

"You know, one of these days all those greasy double bacon cheeseburgers and pies are gonna catch up with those rock hard abs. And you'll be saying, 'Damn, why didn't I listen to Shelby when I had the chance?'" Dean rolled his eyes at the girl, grumbling about having good genes, and turned towards his laptop once again. Shelby sat down next to him and pull on her socks and running shoes. She slipped the twenty into her shorts pocket, then her moms old army knife into her thigh sheath that the shorts covered. It wasn't very comfortable while running, and the shorts didn't hide the huge bulge coming out of her left leg but she'd rather look stupid than be caught without a weapon.

"Well don't take too long. I wanna be on the road by tonight. Might have something in Alabama. Hey, and stay away from that damn bar! Shelby?" Dean got no reply as the door slammed behind the huntress. He smirked at her. Such the attitude. That's one of the things that drew him to her constantly.

He pulled the old ring out of his front pocket. He'd seen the heart-shaped garnet ring in a thrift shop a few months ago while their dads were on a hunt in Indiana. He, Sam, and Shelby had decided to check out the small town. They came upon a thrift shop. While Shelby was busy softly fiddling with an old guitar, Sam pointed out the antique ring to Dean, who bought it as quickly as he could without her seeing. Garnet was Shelby's birthstone. It was killing him to keep this from her.

Even something as small as a ring, which was supposed to be a surprise, made him feel slightly guilty about not telling her what was happening. He told Shelby everything. She was honestly the only person keeping him together in this life his father dragged him into. When John yelled at him for screwing something up on a hunt, it wasn't his little brother that brought him out of his rut. It was Shelby. She had this thing about her, that made everyone in the room a little happier. That something, whatever it was, drove him crazy half the time. Because he wanted to be mad, get angry back at his father. For making him feel useless, like he didn't matter. It wasn't Sam's voice saying not to listen to him, no. It was Shelby's soothing voice that brought him back to reality. A reality where he mattered. He saved people's lives. He did matter. Shelby made sure he knew that.

 **-TOL-**

Shelby took a few big gulps of the Cucumber flavored Gatorade she had purchased from a gas station a few blocks back. She looked at her watch. 5:26. She should probably head back, It was getting dark. Shelby was glad for the warmer January weather in Georgia. She was a little chilly when she started her run in her tank top and shorts, but by the time she had been running for a few minutes she started sweating. She drained the rest of her Gatorade quickly before tossing it into a recycling bin by a bench in the park she had found.

Her trip back was quicker than she anticipated, Dean too apparently, for when she opened the unlocked door at 6p.m., she saw Dean had a crumpled piece of old college-ruled notebook paper in his hands. His eyes were tinged pink around the edges and glassed over when his head shot up. Shelby looked away quickly, not wanting to impose on whatever he was thinking about. She grabbed a change of clothes and her shower bag out of her duffel and headed to the bathroom for a long-awaited shower.

 **-TOL-**

When Dean heard the shower turn on he glanced back down at the piece of paper in his hands. Shelby didn't know he had stolen it from her a few years ago. It was a song she had written. For him, but apparently she hadn't wanted him to see it because he found it in an old journal of hers while he was looking for some info on a case his dad had caught wind of. It was right after John busted his mouth open for raiding a Djinn warehouse by himself, only being saved from death by the sure, calculating hands of Shelby. Just in time. Shelby had cried silently that night in the bed across the cheap motel room, scribbling something in her leather-bound journal. He assumed it was new info on the Djinn they found.

Turns out it was this song, which he keeps folded in his wallet at all times. It helped him through whenever his dad got rough on him.

Some days I barely hold on

When life drags me down

I wanna let go

But when my spirit is weak

You come to my aid

And strengthen my soul

I'm lost without You

I'll never doubt You

Your grace is beyond compare

And though when it rains, it pours

You know all I have is Yours

You smile when you hear my prayer

You rescued me and I believe

That God is love and He is all I need

From this day forth for all eternity

I'll never wander on my own

For I am Yours until you call me home

I close my eyes and I can hear You say

You're not alone.

Some days I just can't go on

I stumble and fall

And I hang my head

But You reach out for my hand

And You lift me up

Again and again

Oh, yes, You do

Dean smiled lovingly at the doodles lining the side of the page; a horse head, some flowers, and a very detailed sketch of a .44 her dad carried around all the time. There were small notes of lyrics, like they were added as an after-thought; having no home yet in the script on the page. She was a great singer, and even better at writing songs it seemed. This wasn't the first she had done. Some of them she even shared with Dean; sometimes Sam, who could never seem to stop complimenting her on the job well done. Dean felt the same about her songs and voice, she had this way of painting a picture with her voice. The way her fingers glided over the guitar strings killed him. Yet somehow he could never seem to do more than smile appreciatively and murmur 'good job' when she was finished. Maybe it was because he saw how she squirmed under the lime light of Sam's doting; and how her eyes lit up like New York City when she heard the soft acceptance from the oldest Winchester brother.

Shelby opened the bathroom door just as Dean slipped the paper back in his wallet. He looked her over before saying,

"Alright, let's pack up, we got business to take of."

"Dean, are you forgetting something?" Shelby tried to keep a smile from her face.

"No, unless you found my razor, I've been missing it since Florida." Shelby had noticed. The dark stubble adorning his otherwise smooth face explained everything. She had found it, in the back seat in between the cushions. She had left it there, rather enjoying the 5 o'clock shadow.

"Nope" She popped the P. She squirmed under the stern green eyes latched onto her form.

"Well in that case-"

"Dean, come on! I wanna do something for my birthday!" Dean smiled. Oh how he loved teasing her.

"I know Princess, if you would just calm yourself and get ready, I have something to show you." Shelby smiled as she ran to her duffel bag, excited for what Dean had in store.

 **-TOL-**

 **Here is Ch.2 revamped! Tell me what you think! Your reviews fuel my writing fire! Thanks minions! Gooseygirl**


	3. Cop Car

**_Chapter 3: Cop Car_**

 ** _But there was somethin' bout the way_**

 ** _The blue lights were shinin'_**

 ** _Bringing out the freedom in your eyes._**

 ** _I was too busy watching you_**

 ** _Going wild child_**

 ** _To be worried about going to jail_**

 ** _-Keith Urban_**

Shelby fiddled with her bra strap in front of the bathroom mirror. She tried to slow down, she really did. She was just too excited. She loved it when Dean surprised her. After adjusting her bra correctly, she slid a tight fitting orange tank top over her head and grabbed a slightly wrinkled ACDC half top. She grabbed her favorite leather watch and her guitar bracelet, slipping them over her right wrist. She rummaged through her black hole of a duffel bag until she pulled out her silver guitar necklace and her mom's old dream catcher earrings. She put some light makeup on and reviewed herself in the dirty vanity.

As soon Shelby was happy with her outfit for the night, she ran a comb through her hair and stepped out of the bathroom. Dean looked at her appreciatively as she sat on the bed and pulled her favorite brown boots on.

"If you take a picture it'll last longer." Dean looked away immediately as Shelby's words drifted softly through the stale motel air. He smirked and grabbed his leather jacket, moving to open the door for the birthday girl, not trusting his voice at the moment.

Shelby grinned triumphantly and stepped out of the door, waiting for Dean as he locked up. They walked in comfortable silence to the Camaro. Dean surprised Shelby by opening her door for her before sliding over the hood Duke style to his own door. His stomach fluttered as he heard Shelby laughing rather loudly in the front seat. Dean slide into the seat and clipped his seat belt in before turning the engine over.

The car was quiet while Dean drove. Shelby deep in thought. She didn't allow herself a lot of leeway when it came to having fun. The exceptions were birthdays and Christmas. Family was important, even if they weren't your own blood. And family in the world of Hunting was something to keep close. They could be swept away from you so easily. She felt so blessed in this moment, that this man driving considered her family and cared enough for her to take time out of their busy lives to let her enjoy herself. The girl next to Dean giggled softly before looking out of the window. He wondered what she was thinking about.

 **-TOL-**

 _"Happy Birthday!" Shelby jumped as she opened the motel door only to be met with Sam and Dean Winchester standing under a disco ball that looked like it had been lifted out of an old party store dumpster. Johnny Cash played in the background softly. Her surprised face quickly turned to happiness as she rushed forward and engulfed the brothers in a tight hug. The three teenagers laughed heartily as Shelby pulled away._

 _"You guys, this is amazing! And here I thought you left with the old men!" Shelby smile brightly as she looked around at the brightly colored streamers hanging from the ceiling with duct tape. There was a sign hanging across the counter that read 'Happy 18th!' She loved these boys so much, they always made her feel needed._

 _She had the worst morning. Her father came back to the motel at six a.m., still drunk, mumbling about her mother. Shelby sighed as she pulled his boots and coat off after he fell into the full sized bed. This happened every once in a while. Shelby tried not to let it bother her. Hell, she agreed one hundred percent with her father. It was her fault her mother had died. If she hadn't have leaned too far over the dock, that thing would have never grabbed her. Her mother jumped in without a second thought to save her. Shaking her head, Shelby blinked away tears. Dean noticed and walked towards her._

 _"May I have the first dance mi'lady" He asked with a terrible British accent. Shelby smiled softly, laughed, and grabbed the boys hand. Sam walked over to the radio and turned up the song that was currently playing. After Dean danced a few songs with Shelby, Sam cut in. Then they spent the rest of the night playing poker and drinking up the rest of the bourbon that their dads had stashed in the bottom of their bags. That was one of the happiest nights of her life. A true reminder of what real family meant._

 **-TOL-**

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" Dean asked curiously. He'd been watching her for the ten minutes they had been driving. He started to get worried when a few tears trailed down Shelby's face, but it disappeared when she smiled and put her head down against the cool window. She jumped slightly at his voice, and wiped her face before answering him.

"My eighteenth birthday." She said with a smile. Dean smiled widely. That was a great night; for the most part. Long after the birthday girl had passed out, Sam and Dean were sitting at the counter, still sharing the bourbon. Sam had confessed his feelings for her. Dean hadn't said anything. It wasn't like Sam was asking his permission. Just thinking out loud. Not long after his speech, Sam had fallen asleep on one of the beds. Dean sat up all night, watching Shelby as she snored lightly, trying to ignore the burning pit in his stomach his younger brother had caused. The hunter cleared his throat before speaking,

"Well, it just so happens that I might have found the rest of that bourbon that our dads stocked away." Dean's smile grew when he heard Shelby laugh.

"Well Mr. Hot-shot, where do you propose we finish off this red-tagged bourbon?" Shelby raised an eyebrow towards the green-eyed man driving. She smirked as he veered off the road and drove right past a no-trespassing sign into a huge bean field. When Dean put the Camaro in park, Shelby pulled herself out of the open window and climbed onto the top of the car. Dean exited like a normal person would and popped the trunk. After grabbing the bourbon, he joined Shelby on the hood, where she had moved to during his search for the alcohol. She crossed her toned legs over each other and leaned back onto the windshield.

"Shooting star!" Shelby suddenly exclaimed, pointing up to the sky. Dean rolled his eyes and passed her the bottle.

"No way. That was an airplane." Shelby lightly slapped his arm and took a swig from the black and white labeled bottle.

"Well, then use your imagination. Pretend the airplanes are shooting stars. Make a wish." Shelby closed her eyes tightly as Dean grabbed the Jim Beam from her and took a long drink. He wished…

"Do you ever think about leaving?" Shelby opened her eyes slowly and tilted her head towards him. She had a small frown grace her sculpted eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

"Just, leaving this all behind. This life. Hunting. Go start a family and get a normal job." His face was heating up as he said this.

"What normal things do we know how to do Dean? Besides, we're good at hunting things. We save people. It's kind of my family's business." Shelby chuckled lightly at her own sentence. She loved this life. There was never a dull moment; even with danger around every corner, she wouldn't trade it. She lived for the adrenaline rush. She looked over at Dean. His face stayed stoic.

"What was your wish, Princess?" Dean asked, silently dropping the subject. Shelby sighed and looked back up at the sky. She looked at Dean mischievously before stealing the alcohol from him and finishing it off with two big gulps.

"Well Mr. Hot-shot, if I told you it wouldn't be likely to come true, now would it?" Dean smiled and laughed softly, shaking his head at the girl as she laughed along. After a few minutes of silence, Shelby got off of the blue hood and reached through the window, turning on the radio. The song _Eight Second Ride_ came on and Shelby pumped her tan fist in the air before she dragged Dean off of the hood.

"Oh my _God_ Dean, I _love_ this song! Dance with me." Dean smiled a little before putting his hands low on Shelby's waist and danced half-heartedly to the country song. Most of his attention was on the girl in his arms, dancing a little drunkenly into him. Even drunk, her voice was amazing. Dean sighed and pulled away when the song finished. Shelby whimpered pathetically when Dean reached in the window and turned the radio down. He checked his pocket for the bump of Shelby's birthday present before straightening back up and walking over to her. As he put his hand in his pocket to pull the ring out, red and blue lights lit up the plowed field.

"Oh, shit. Come on let's go!" Shelby yelled with laughter in her voice before running to the car. Dean ran a hand down his face and turned around, ready to run.

"Not so fast, little lady." The police megaphone blared out.

"Don't even think about it young man." Came a second voice.

"Come on Dean, they look like they've had one too many donuts today, let's go!" Dean looked at Shelby sidelong. He tried to hide the smile that wanted to break through. He failed.

"It'll only make it worse Princess." Dean said. _Colt is gonna kill me._

The heavyweight, balding police officers lifted themselves out of the car and waddled over to the young couple.

"Did y'all not finish school or somethin'?" The bigger of the two asked, pointing to the 'NO TRESPASSING' sign. Dean was about to answer when Shelby's voice rang out.

"Did y'all not see the free donut sign on the way out here?" She mocked the man's deep southern accent with a smirk on her face and hands on her hips. _Colt is definitely gonna to kill me_. Dean grabbed Shelby and pulled her away from the officer. Dean clenched his jaw and looked hard at the girl in front of him. The blue lights lit up her green eyes as she glared at the officers. He could just hear her saying how easily they could outrun them. Before Dean could say or do anything to save the situation, he felt the cold sting of metal handcuffs locking onto his wrists. He chuckled as Shelby gave the officer a tough time, slipping out of the cuffs once.

The officers pushed them roughly into the back of the cop car and stood outside, doing some paperwork on the hood of the car. Shelby sat on Dean's right. She huffed loudly and slumped in her seat.

"Happy freakin' birthday to me." She said sarcastically. Dean found himself chuckling again. He finished picking the lock on his handcuffs and cut the zip ties the officer had been forced to use on Shelby. She rubbed her red wrists softly as she watched Dean pull something out of his pocket.

"Happy Birthday, Princess." Shelby gasped at the beautiful ring Dean held in his hand. A garnet heart was the focus, surrounded by black diamonds. There were intricate silver tendrils wrapped around the heart to hold it in place. She loved it.

"Dean... I, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Shelby looked up at Dean, taken aback by the look in his eyes. She decided to look back at the ring again. It was so beautiful. She slipped it on her right ring finger. It fit perfectly.

"Alright kids, time to- Now how in the Hell did you get outta that?" The officer huffed from the open back door. Dean and Shelby smiled sheepishly. They held their hands up in defeat, laughing to themselves as the cops put zip ties on both their wrists. The ride to the station was rather quiet. Each fugitive off in their own mind. Her thinking about the beautiful ring resting on her finger, and the man who had gifted it to her. Him thinking about what her father would do when he got a phone call in an hour and deciding he didn't really care.

"You know, we should just call Bobby. Have him concoct something up. It could be my birthday present from him." _God, this girl is a genius_. Dean smiled down at the brunette next to him. She smiled back, a bit shyly. The alcohol was still affecting her. When the officer driving hit the curb and turned sharp into the station, she slammed into Dean and knocked him over in the seat. Looking down at Dean's surprised face, Shelby took in a deep breath. _God, he was beautiful_. The hunter underneath her _might_ have had the same thing running through his mind, it was sure as hell running through his pants. He might not have had the courage without good ole Jim Beam egging him on., but Dean leaned up closer to Shelby's face and glanced at her lips as she nibbled on her bottom one.

"Shelby, I-"

"Alright you hooligans. Enough playin' around!" Shelby grunted loudly when a different officer than any of the ones they'd seen before pulled her out of the car roughly.

 **-TOL-**

A couple of hours later Dean and Shelby walked out of the small town police station with a pep in their step. Bobby had begrudgingly agreed to assist them in getting out of the bind they got themselves into, only agreeing when Shelby pulled what Dean called her 'puppy-dog voice'; something she did over the phone. Dean had no idea how she did it. Sam had his puppy dog eyes. Shelby had surpassed the teacher it seemed.

"Damn it. It's like a ten mile walk back to the car." Shelby half-heartedly whined.

"Come on Princess, you run like ten miles a day, a ten mile walk should be nothing." Dean said with a smile. Shelby looked over at him agitatedly and punched him in the arm.

After a while of comfortable silence, Shelby knocked her shoulder into Dean's.

"So, what were you gonna say in the car?" Dean coughed a bit at Shelby's question. He looked up at the stars for a second before turning his attention back at her. How did he say this? The alcohol had made it's way out of his system. He wasn't someone who said what he was feeling out loud. His dad had taught him that. Feelings got people hurt.

"It can't be that bad, right?" Shelby asked, a little worry in her voice. Dean could see how she was closing herself up. He hated how self conscious she got around him sometimes. She deserved to feel amazing all the time. He just had to say it. Grow a pair Dean. He came to a stop, waiting for Shelby to follow suit. They stood under a willow tree on the side of the road by a small pond. The crickets were chirping and bull frogs called loudly for their mates. A flickering street light buzzed in the distance.

"Shelby, I... am not really good at this kinda thing." Dean laughed at himself and ran a sweaty hand down his face. Shelby waited calmly for him to continue. She really didn't know what else to do at this point.

"You're an amazing person; an even better hunter. And you've been there for me, so many times. Hell, I consider you more of a family than my old man..." Dean paused again. Shelby stepped a little closer to him; not quite sure if she wanted to hear what Dean had to say. Dean closed the gap between them. He gently brought his hand up to her tanned cheek. Shelby's lips parted as Dean leaned down slowly, not sure if this is what Shelby wanted.

It definitely was what she wanted, seeing as she grabbed Dean's neck and pulled him the rest of the way down to her. The air seemed to teem with electricity around them. Shelby's stomach was so full of butterflies she thought she might puke. Dean thought his eyes might pop out of his skull.

"Shelby," Dean started quietly as he pulled back gently.

"I'm sorry Dean, I should have known. How _stupid_ could I be. God fucking damn it." Shelby pulled herself away and walked to the edge of the pond, staring down at the smooth, black surface. Tears were threatening to fall down her soft cheeks. She had grown up with Dean, they were treated like brother and sister more than anything. How could she think... Dean still stood in shock as she moved away. He regained his composure after a moment and stomped over to the brunette.

"God... Dean. I thought, maybe you might, ya know..."

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do know. It seems like you're the one who doesn't have a clue, for once." Dean grabbed Shelby's arm and turned her around quick enough to pull her off her feet and lightly fall into Dean's chest for the second time that night.

"I don't how else to say this and it's been killing me for a while now."

"Say what Dean?" Her heart was pounding in her ears. She knew what she _wanted_ him to say and what he _might_ say could very well be at opposite ends of the spectrum.

"I don't know what I'd do without you. And I don't wanna find out. I love you, Shelby." He whispered the last part. It was so quiet she almost didn't hear it. Shelby's mouth dropped open in a very un-lady like manner. Dean didn't wait for a response before he took his thumb and closed her mouth. Shelby really didn't know how to respond to that statement. She had always thought of Dean as someone who would be there. Forever. She never had to worry about what he thought about her. Her heart fluttered just thinking about his smile, his eyes, his strong jawline, his passion, and don't forget about his _body_. Every time she has to hustle men for money in the bars, she thinks about herself rubbing up against Dean. He has saved her ass a few times, _not as many as her, him though,_ she thought smugly.

Thinking ahead, towards her future, she couldn't see anyone else in her life besides Dean. Fighting whatever came their way, together. Ever since she was ten years old, he had been there for her.

"Really?" She squeaked out. Dean laughed out loud before bringing his forehead to lay against hers.

"You know how hard this is for me, I know you do. So please, don't make me say it again." Shelby laughed, a single tear streaming down from her emerald eyes.

"I'm sorry-"

"Stop saying you're sorry."

"I'm so- I love you too." Dean was actually surprised by what she said. She always acted so off put by some of the things he said or did. But he knew at the end of the day, she was always there for him. More than his real family ever was.

"Really?" Dean's voice held a husky tone to it; deeper and scratchier than normal. He was nervous. Did she just say that back as a reflex? Or did she really mean it? Could she actually love him? It was the ideal reaction to his confession. Things just didn't usually go his way. Maybe someone was looking down on him.

"Yeah." Shelby replied quietly.

"Good." Dean brought his very kissable lips crashing down onto hers. He rested one hand on the small of Shelby's back and the other knotted itself in her long brown hair. She brought her delicate hands up to his chest as he pulled her closer. Dean's warm tongue glided over Shelby's lower lip. She gasped surprisingly at the unfamiliar sensation. He took the opportunity to roll his tongue over hers softly. Dean felt her shiver. When air became a necessary evil between the two, they pulled apart.

"We should probably get back to the car." Shelby stated breathlessly as she noticed a few rain drops ripple onto the pond's surface.

"Right. Last one there drives home." Dean yelled back at Shelby, leaving her in the dust. Shelby shook her head with a grin on her face. _Yeah, this is love._

 **-TOL-**

 **As usual, please let me know what you think! Your reviews fuel my writing fire! Thanks, lovelies. Gooseygirl  
**


	4. Hey Brother

_**Chapter 4: Hey Brother**_

 _ **Hey brother, there's an endless road to rediscover**_

 _ **Hey sister, know the water's sweet but blood is thicker**_

 _ **Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you**_

 _ **There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do**_

 _ **-Avicci**_

"Dean, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, Sam did leave for a reason." Shelby whispered, trying not to remember the night Sam left. She caught up to Dean as he hurriedly moved to the apartment building that his brother resided in. He didn't pause, or hide the annoyance in his voice when he half yelled, half whispered back at her.

"This is our dad Shelby, it doesn't have to be a good idea. He should follow anyway." Shelby rolled her eyes at the man in front of her as he stumbled through the window he had forced open. Shelby followed, although quietly, and more gracefully. She heard Dean snooping around in the kitchen. Keeping to the living room, she looked around silently. A small, almost too-hard-to-hear squeak of the hardwood floor alerted Shelby just in time to duck below the giant fist hurtling towards her.

She smirked as she leaned down and swept her left leg out, successfully sweeping the attacker off their feet. Before they could react, Shelby was straddling them with hands holding their arms down.

"Hey, Sammy." Shelby said with a smile in her voice. A light came on in the living room a second later and another girls voice appeared.

"Umm, Sam... What's going on? Who is this?" Shelby looked up at the blonde girl with a stern looking face standing in the doorway. Sam said nothing. Just stared at the brunette on top of him in disbelief. At that moment, Dean walked in with a beer in his hand. If looks could kill. Shelby saw Dean and jumped up, a small smile on her face. She walked over to the blonde girl and held out her hand.

"I'm Shelby, and this is Dean."

"Jess." The girl grabbed Shelby's hand hesitantly, but firmly. Dean moved over to help Sam off the floor. Sam cleared his throat and moved next to Jess.

"This is uh, Jess. My girlfriend." Shelby smiled brightly and Dean's shoulders relaxed a bit. Sam didn't let his eyes leave Shelby.

"Wait, Dean, as in your brother?" Jess looked at Dean.

"I've heard so much about you. Nice to finally put a face to all the stories." A smile finally formed on Jess' face. Dean stepped closer to Shelby and wrapped a hand around her waist firmly. Sam cleared his throat once again and motioned to Shelby.

"This is-"

"Shelby. Sam, haven't you told Jess about Shelby before?" Shelby looked at Dean weirdly before looking at Sam. She felt the awkwardness of the situation but wasn't sure what to do. She didn't know what Dean was talking about.

"It never came up." Both girls looked at Sam uneasily before Dean spoke.

"Well Jess, as nice as it's been, we need to talk to my brother. Family business." Sam shook his head. There was an awkward, pregnant pause.

"No, you can say whatever you need to in front of Jess." Shelby looked surprised. _Has he told Jess about his family? What they do?_

"Okay..." Dean started, "Dad's on a hunting trip, and he hasn't been home in a few days."

"Weeks, really. He's missing and we need your help to find him." Shelby finished with a softer tone in her voice. Sam looked at her with a little confusion on his soft features.

"Look, I've got some big things here at school. I can't really take off with you guys at the moment. Why don't you guys call Colt?" Sam finished his sentence looking at Shelby. She slumped out of Dean's grasp and walked over to the window. After a few seconds she turned around, her eyes glassy and red-rimmed. She took a deep breath.

"He's dead."

Silence.

Sam withdrew from Jess and strode over to Shelby, wrapping her up in his huge frame. She violently shrugged out of his grasp and took a few steps back.

"You don't get to comfort me, Sam. You left. You abandoned our family. Plus, I'm over it anyway. Dean, if he doesn't wanna come, we can find someone else." Shelby grabbed Dean's hand and started for the door. She knew Sam would be the one to resist, possibly bringing up her father's death.

Sam had left that night so long ago. Shelby had begged him not to. He had begged her to go with him, to California. Shelby hadn't talked to anyone for a while after the taxi took her best friend away. She swore she would never forgive him, but seeing him tonight; she wasn't so sure of herself anymore.

"Wait. Jess, give us a few okay?" Jess nodded and went back into the room where she came from. Sam grabbed a shirt from the back of the couch and shrugged it on. He came closer to Shelby, but Dean slammed a hand over his chest and shook his head before pulling away and following his girlfriend out the door.

 **-TOL-**

The only noise filling the car was Shelby's soft voice singing along to her iPod in the back seat. She hadn't said a word to the brothers since the apartment. She had stormed outside and down to the Impala, opening the back door roughly before jumping in. There she had stayed.

"So, uh, what happened?" Sam asked softly after a few hours. Dean saw his brother glance at his girlfriend behind him. Dean gave Sam an answer, but not the one he wanted.

"Dad caught a lead on the demon that got mom. So he left. That was a few weeks ago. Five days ago was the last time we heard from him. The voice-mail was all garbled. So we're heading to where he last was to see what is going on. If all goes to plan we'll have you back by Monday morning." Dean thought that had ended the conversation. Sam glanced back at Shelby, who seemed to have fallen asleep. He looked at his big brother.

"That's not what I meant Dean. What happened to Colt? How long has it been?" Dean shook his head and answered, much to Sam's disappointment.

"That's not a story for me to tell you. How about you tell me about that Jess girl back there. I see you didn't tell her about Shelby. What's that all about. Still pining for my girl?" Sam looked away from his brother, trying not to eye the rear-view as his eyes moved across the windshield.

"Dean, that's not fair. You're the ones who came looking for my help. I'm giving it to you. So you don't need to ask questions as to why I'm here."

"You should be here for dad." Dean said angrily.

It was quiet until they reached the small town Friday morning.

 **-TOL-**

After talking to the local P.D. the three were no closer to finding out what was happening in the small town any more than the cow was close to the moon. Walking down the street Shelby picked out a small diner to eat lunch at. They ended up running into the missing boys girlfriend eating lunch with her friend. Shelby made sure to sit as close to Dean as possible so the young girls backed off. She didn't like how they eyed him when they were waiting for a table.

"So a legend huh?" Sam asked skeptically. The girls looked at each other before they both nodded their heads. Dean thanked them and the three hunters left the diner, their lunch forgotten.

"Sorry, Sam. Shelby gets shotgun." Shelby smirked a bit when Dean held the door open for her. Such the gentleman. She hopped in and changed the radio to a modern country station, turning it up a bit when she recognized the song. Sam looked at Dean incredulously.

"How come she can pick the music?"

"I've got your big brother wrapped around my little finger." Shelby answered, blowing a kiss Dean's way. Sam smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

Later that night, the trio returned to the bridge where the boy disappeared. After watching the brothers going back and forth about their father, Shelby walked in between them, putting a hand on each chest. She was tired. She wanted out of these FBI heels she had been wearing since this morning. And she wanted to shower.

"Boys, we're not finding anything out just jibber-jabberin' about stuff we can't change right now. Let's go get a room and do some research." Both men felt their anger drain when they looked at the slim hunter touching them. They backed off and started heading back to the car. All of a sudden, the headlights blinded them and the engine roared to life. Shelby and Sam looked at Dean. He grabbed the keys out of his jacket pocket and jangled them. Shelby didn't need any coaxing to turn around and book it.

The car sped forward, coming closer with each frenzied step the three took. There weren't many places on the bridge to grab onto off to the side. They were so close to the end of it where they could safely dive to the side. But the possessed Impala was closer. They had no choice. Sam jumped to one side of the bridge, Shelby and Dean to the other.

After driving to the end of the bridge, the car's engine cut out. Sam looked across the bridge and didn't see either of his companions. Running to the edge, he saw Dean pulling himself out of a part of the river that looked like a sewer drainage outlet. Shelby was nowhere to be found.

"Dean! Where's Shelby?" Sam yelled over the water. Dean seemed to realize that Shelby hadn't held onto his arm after they hit the water. He forgot about the sewer junk all over him and dived back into the water. Shelby couldn't swim. She was terrified of water, and he'd let her go! Damn it!

"I'm over here! Dean!" He heard her voice after a few minutes of searching the black water. Sam was the first to get to her. Swimming over to the giant rock she was clinging to, he helped her back to the riverbank and she ran over to Dean, ignoring the horrible stench coming from him.

"I'm sorry baby, I shouldn't have let you go. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, I just want to go to bed. Please." How could Dean say no to those big green eyes?

"I'll drive." Sam offered. Dean didn't say anything, just tossed him the keys. He didn't want to let go of her right now.

 **-TOL-**

After sneaking into their dads vacant motel room, Shelby and Dean took a quick shower while Sam looked over his dad's research, trying to ignore the rather loud noises coming from the bathroom. He figured it was the Woman in White. He explained everything he knew to Shelby and Dean when they had emerged from the bathroom. After setting a plan in place, the hunting couple left, deciding they couldn't fight a vengeful spirit on an empty stomach. Sam was left to wait for them in the motel.

Walking out, Shelby nudged Dean a little too harshly in the shoulder. She moved her eyes and nodded her head slightly over to the officers from the bridge yesterday. Dean pulled out his phone and warned Sam before they made it all the way over to the couple.

"Fake outfits, fake badges, fake names. There anything you got that isn't fake?" The officer asked the two.

"My boobs."

"My dick." They both answered at the same time with identical smirks on their faces. The cuffs came shortly after that.

 **-TOL-**

"Nice Sammy, fake gunshots? Anyway, we're on our way. Where are you. We've got dad's journal. This is bigger than I thought." Dean talked through the phone as Shelby looked over John Winchester's journal. Her mind was racing. He never went anywhere without this. This had his whole hunting life in it. What he's fought, and how he's fought it. In the back, she found a few pictures taped crudely to the college lined paper. Some were of her and the boys, but one that struck her the most was the one of John, Mary, Sam, and Dean. Dean was holding his little brother lovingly. Dean was lucky that his dad kept pictures of his family. Colt had burned the few pictures of Shelby and Amelia that he had. Shelby didn't remember when exactly, probably in one of his drunken rages.

Shelby shut the book and looked up at Dean when his voice became frantic.

"Sam! Sammy, you there?" Dean hung up the phone and threw it on the bed of the new room they got just outside of town.

"Come on. Sam found out what is going on with these people, and if he's right, then he is in trouble. He gave me the address." Shelby looked at the messy handwriting on the old receipt Dean used to write the information down and grabbed her jacket before following Dean out the door.

"Which mode of transportation would you prefer tonight my lady?" Dean asked with a deep bow, holding his hand out to the parking lot filled with older cars. Shelby smiled and walked over to an old F-150.

"This will do I suppose Jeeves." She replied in an English accent. Dean smirked and picked the locked doors before hopping in and hot-wiring it. This is one of the things she loved about Dean. His sense of humor; even in horrible situations, his sarcasm and lightness did wonders for her. Dean would argue the same about Shelby.

 **-TOL-**

"Sam, I don't understand why she went after you. I mean you have Jess. And you're not the kind of guy that would cheat. But we still got rid of her the way the legend said to. Ugh, God I swear ghosts are so confusing." Shelby ran a delicate hand over her face before getting out of the car and heading towards the motel room. The two had arrived just in time to save Sam. Shelby had somehow overcome her annoyance with him since then. The youngest Winchester was glad for it. He watched her figure walk towards the motel room. Sighing internally. He honestly never thought he would see her again.

"You need to get over her. It's never gonna happen. She's mine Sammy. You have Jess anyway." Sam clenched his jaw a few times before responding to his brother.

"You think I don't know that Dean? I've tried forgetting about her ever day since I left! That's why I never told Jess about her! Because talking about her out loud means that I have to come to terms with her not loving me. Not like I want her to. But I am happy. For Shelby, I mean." His voice softened.

"I just hope that you keep her safe Dean." With that, Sam got out of the Impala and headed to the motel room. He needed to pack for the trip back to his apartment. Dean stayed in the car, Sam and Shelby shouldn't take long to pack up their things and he had everything ready to go earlier that day.

When Sam opened the motel door he was not expecting Shelby to be sitting on her bed facing him. She had a solemn look about her.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I shouldn't have lashed out at you like I did." Sam realized she was talking about her father. He closed the door all the way and moved to sit beside her on the bed. She fidgeted with her hands, kneading them over themselves and popping every knuckle that should could as she tried to form words.

"It's just, I guess I never really forgave you for leaving us like you did. You never even tried to get a hold of me."

"My dad said-"

"Who cares about what your dad says? I'm not talking about your dad! I'm talking about me, and Dean for that matter. We've missed you so much Sammy." He could see the tears forming in her eyes as she kept talking. He wanted so badly to kiss them away.

"It was always us three. The Golden Trio." She said that with a smile in her voice. Sam chuckled at their inside joke. Dean always called them nerds when they said that around him. He never understood Harry Potter.

"I'm sorry Shelby. I just -" Shelby looked up at Sam with red-rimmed eyes.

"I couldn't stand being around you. Watching you look at Dean the way you did. You didn't even notice me."

"Sam I -"

"I love you Shelby. I have for a long time. And I know you don't feel the same for me." He held up his large, sweaty hands before she could speak.

"I accept that. All I want is for you to be happy. I see Dean makes you happy, you're a better person when you're with him. I love Jess, I do, but... There is a reason I never told her about you." Sam took in a big breath, waiting for Shelby to respond.

"I'm sorry, Sam." Shelby knew how Sam was feeling. She felt the same about Dean for a while before he acted on his feelings. She didn't really have anything else to say. Sam must have realized this, for he stood up and started to gather his things, throwing them haphazardly into his duffel. When he finished, he headed towards the door. Tan, muscular arms wrapped around him from the back.

"I'll always be here for you Sammy." He smiled.

"Thanks Shelby." Shelby released him and grabbed her own duffel before heading out to the Impala.

 **-TOL-**

 **So what'd you think of this chapter? Have you guys been listening to the song titles? They're really good songs! As always, please review! They are the fuel to my writing fire! Thanks darlings. Gooseygirl**


	5. Shake It Out

_**Chapter 5: Shake It Out**_

 _ **Every demon wants his pound of flesh,**_

 _ **But I like to keep some things to myself.**_

 _ **I like to keep my issues drawn.**_

 _ **It's always darkest before the dawn.**_

 _ **\- Florence + The Machine**_

"Are you sure this is our kind of gig Sam?" Shelby asked nervously from the back seat. She had let Sam sit in front, she wasn't feeling too hot about this hunt. Sam didn't understand, but judging from the looks that Dean kept sending her way, he wasn't sure she should accompany them.

"Yeah, I mean, there has been somewhat of a pattern with these drownings. This most recent drowning victim, uh -" He opened the notebook in his lap again,

"Sophie Carlton, she was a great swimmer. Grew up on the lake. Suddenly she drowns? That's weird."

"Yeah, I guess." Shelby all but whispered.

"Babe, why don't we drop you off at Bobby's? I'm sure he could use some help in the shop." Shelby smiled at Dean appreciatively, she loved him so much. She shook her head. She would rather stay with Dean. Besides, she had to get over her fear of water sometime right?

"It's okay. I'll be fine." She said with a small smile. Dean glared at her for a second longer before turning his eyes back on the tarmac in front of him. Sam looked between the two for a minute before realization hit his features.

"Oh, God, Shelby... I'm sorry. I completely forgot about how you are around water. I'm so-"

"It's fine Sam. Really. I need to get over it sometime right?" Dean was proud of her. Since the river incident a month or two back she had insisted on them staying in hotels that had pools. Dean had been teaching her how to swim. She was very strong already, so learning to stay afloat and do some basic swim maneuvers for rescuing was pretty easy for her to learn. Just in case. In this life you can never be too sure. Dean would even go as far as saying she seemed confident in a pool setting. She had even looked forward to their swim lessons. But a pool and lake were very different things.

 **-TOL-**

"Well, thank you for your time Sheriff Devins-"

"Jake, please."

"Jake. Anyway, if you think of anything else, please let us know." Shelby smiled sweetly before shuffling Dean and Sam towards the office doors. She had been quietly observing in the background while the boys talked with the older Sheriff. She stepped in when things started getting heated. She smirked at Dean. He rolled his eyes. Such a hot head!

"I can't help it if I have a way with the law." Shelby said sweetly. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Do I need to remind you of your twentieth birthday?" Shelby averted her emerald eyes to the window and rubbed her garnet heart ring. It was Dean's turn to smirk.

"Hush, you know it was your favorite." Dean's smirk widened into a smile and opened the door for Shelby. As she stepped out, a little boy about nine or ten years of age went to run through the door and smacked right into her thighs. She stepped back a few feet and regained her balance, helping the boy up off the ground.

"I'm so sorry officers, Lucas, honey, you need to watch where you're going; now please, say you're sorry." The pretty mother scolded her child lightly, waiting for an apology.

"It's okay, really. He is too adorable." Shelby responded lightly. She smiled down at the boy for a moment before he smiled up at her, unsure of himself. His mouth moved as if saying sorry, but no sound came out as he touched his hand to her arm gently. It lasted only a split second before he took off towards Sheriff Devins' office. Shelby watched the boy quizzically.

"Wow. That, was. Wow." The mother stuttered.

"It's okay. Seriously. I sometimes have that effect on children. They usually don't like me."

"No, I mean. Ever since the accident, Lucas hasn't shown anyone any kind of emotion aside from my father or myself. He hasn't even mouthed anything. That was incredible. Hmm." She finished her sentence and looked at Shelby with a slight frown marring her otherwise smooth face.

"Oh." Was all Shelby could get out. Dean took charge at that point. Not really being a kid person himself, and being tired, he was ready to find a place to crash.

"Well ma'am, we were wondering if you might know where a decent motel might be?" Dean smiled politely towards the woman, who shook herself from the daze she was in.

"Yes, just two blocks up the road and swing a right. It's small, but they have the best bacon cheeseburgers around." She said with a smile. Shelby and Sam smiled back at her as Dean rudely bolted out the door. Did he mention how hungry he was?

Shelby followed him out while Sam hung back a bit, explaining to the woman why they were there and handed her his card if she had anymore questions.

 **-TOL-**

Once settled in, Sam went to research on the disappearances at Lake Manitoc. Shelby dropped her duffel bag onto the bed before stepping back outside to get some fresh air. Dean dropped his things as well and gave Sam a hard look before following his girlfriend. He walked under the gazebo where she was, looking over the lake. She was looking out over the peaceful lake. Children were swimming near the shoreline, dogs were fetching sticks off of docks, and a few people were fishing in the middle of the dark green water. Sweat started trickling down Shelby's back. Could she do this? She stiffened when she heard the heavy footfalls of Dean's boots. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Shelby, baby, are you positive that you're gonna be okay doing this? Sam and I can handle it." Dean's breath tickled her ear. She sighed. She moved her eyes over to a brother and sister. The brother was dunking his little sister under the water every few moments, then letting her back up. She was laughing along with him. No fear of being pushed under with no way back up. They were so comfortable in there.

"Dean, I _have_ to get over this irrational fear of water. There's gonna come a time when I need to be able to swim to save someone. There's gonna be a time where you and Sam won't be there to help me, or save me. I don't wanna admit it but I need to be realistic." If Dean was any farther away he wouldn't have been able to hear her.

"Hey, it's not irrational. Don't say that." Shelby scoffed a bit in Dean's arms.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I just hate seeing you like this." Dean paused…

"I love you, Princess." Shelby smiled and leaned back into Dean. She knows he loves her, but he has this problem with emotions sometimes. She's pretty sure she is the only one who he has ever said that out-loud to. She knows he loves his father and Sam, but he saved those three words just for her. She got all giddy when he said them out loud.

"I love you too, Hot-Shot." Shelby turned around while saying this. She buried her face into Dean's chest and took a deep breath. She loved the way he smelled. Leather, oil, _just Dean_. He leaned his head back and tilted her head up with his thumb and forefinger gently. She looked so frightened. It killed him. He wanted to just take it all away from her. _Hah, fat chance_. He thought. Shelby was just as stubborn and hard-headed as he was. She wouldn't let him deal with her pain even if he could take it away.

"Shelby, I promise, I won't let anything happen to you. I will be here for you. Forever. No matter what it takes." Shelby searched Dean's face. His bright green eyes were set in a slight frown, and his freckles popped with the sweat trickling down his face. She heard the truth behind his words, the love behind them. His eyes didn't deceive either. She smiled again.

"It's always darkest before the dawn. It's just over the horizon, Dean; I can feel it." Dean smiled down at his girl. He slowly put his lips onto hers. Heat flushed through them like a flame in the dead of winter. They held onto each other as if they'd never see one another again. Shelby pulled away after a minute.

"Okay, I saw a sign for a swimming pool inside. I'll go change." Dean smiled.

"Damn straight, can you wear the little black one?" Shelby smiled back playfully as he turned away, yelping when Dean smacked her ass as she passed him.

Sam opened the door right as a red-faced Shelby grabbed the handle. She slid by him and went into the dark motel room. Sam closed the door gently before heading over to Dean, who was adjusting his pants. Sam rolled his eyes.

"So get this, Lucas, the boy that ran into Shelby earlier, was there when his dad drowned. He's our only witness." Sam gave a hard look at Dean, waiting for him to connect the dots. It took a second.

"But he doesn't talk. Well, just our luck. Why would it be any other way?" He said with a small laugh. Sam rolled his eyes. Always the humorist.

"Yeah, but did you not hear what his mother said, Lucas hadn't shown any emotion or anything until he ran into Shelby, it's like he got a boost of confidence from her. He didn't quite talk per say, but he did show signs of wanting to communicate." Dean nodded in understanding. Shelby had that effect on people. It was like she encouraged them to be brave in whatever battle they might be fighting, whether with someone, or something in their case; or with themselves. Like a great War General. She didn't even try to a lot of the time. When Dean was scared or nervous going into a hunt, all he had to do was look at Shelby, and she would smile at him, say 'Buck up, buttercup' and he felt his chest swell with courage.

 **-TOL-**

Dean and Shelby met Sam a few hours later. Dean had caught the brunette up on his brothers findings during her swim lesson, which she did excellent on; Dean had only reminded her a million times. Shelby pulled her hair into a semi-professional bun at the base of her neck before shrugging on her black jacket. She pulled on her heels and grabbed her 9 mil off the bed, checking to make sure it was fully loaded and the safety was on. Dean handed her the slim inner pants holster he had gotten her last year. He admired the way she slid it on. Sam cleared his throat, putting his suit jacket on as well. Shelby encouraged the boys to look the part of investigators. They usually tried to slam the fancy suits as often as they could.

Driving through town, planning on questioning some family friends of the victims, Shelby put a hand on Dean's shoulder, signaling for him to stop. They were just outside of the town's park. She got out without a word to the brothers. Dean and Sam exited the Impala and followed her over to the woman from that morning. _What was her name again?_ Dean was too occupied by food and sleep earlier to pay attention.

"Gentlemen, you remember Andrea, Lucas' mother." Shelby smiled softly as she spoke. She turned back around to speak with the mother, back to ignoring the boys.

"May I go speak with him?" Shelby asked tentatively, not expecting the protective mothers answer.

"Of course, although, I'm not sure you'll get anything out of him." She sighed out the last bit. Shelby stood up and walked over to the young boy drawing on the bench in the center of the playground. Sam sat down to chat with the mother. Dean admired Shelby walking away. Those heels did wonder for her body.

"You know, when I was a bit younger than you, I saw something bad happen. To my mom. She drowned too. Something pulled her down. I'm positive of it; and if there was anything I could do or say to help someone figure out what got her, I would tell someone. I'm a good someone to tell that to Lucas. My friends and I can help you and your momma find out what took your dad. We can save anyone else from getting hurt too."

All the while Shelby had been talking, she had been drawing. A little rusty, she hadn't drawn anything in a while, but Lucas could make it out. It was a little girl, sitting on the edge of a dock, with her mom and dad on either side of her, with fishing poles in the water. A black blob was below them, lurking... Waiting. He blinked at her as she set the paper and few crayons down next to his other drawing supplies. Figuring that was all she had to say, she sniffled a bit and blinked away the tears that had formed.

Shelby shook herself off and joined the brothers and Andrea just as she was explaining what she was dealing with regarding Lucas.

"Kids are strong," Dean started, looking at Shelby.

"You'll be surprised what they can deal with." Shelby smiled softly at his words. She turned away from the man as Andrea started talking again. Lucas walked up a few minutes later and pushed a piece of construction paper into Shelby's hands. It was a drawing of a cabin, with a red roof and second story window sticking out.

"Thank you Lucas, it's beautiful." Shelby said, Lucas ran clumsily back to his spot on the bench.

 **-TOL-**

The trio and Andrea followed Lucas out of the house and across the street, into the woods. He stopped and looked up at Shelby.

"Why don't you take your momma back into the house. I'll come back in and get you in a few minutes." Shelby leaned down and spoke to the boy. He nodded and grabbed his moms hand before leading her back into the house. Shelby looked at Dean and Sam after the boy and woman were out of earshot.

"Better get some shovels." After about ten minutes of digging, Sam hit something hard. Dean and Shelby threw their shovels down and helped Sam pull out a red bicycle. Peter Sweeney's bike from so many years ago.

 _Click._

Shelby looked up, a pissed off look in her jade eyes. Sam and Dean both turned around and dropped the bike.

"Who are you? I thought I told you to scram. You should have stayed away. Then none of this would be happening." Jake Devins stood in front of them, his sleek, black gun aimed and ready to put a bullet into Shelby's chest.

"Easy now, just put the gun down. Let's talk about this." Sam said calmly. Dean was too furious at the direction the gun was pointed to talk. Shelby knew when to keep her mouth shut.

Dean accused Jake of killing Peter. At that point Andrea ran up to the group. Shelby mentally smacked the woman. The huntress decided to explain what they were really dealing with. An angry spirit. Jake finally put his arm down and explained to his daughter what happened thirty-five years ago.

Shelby shook her head sadly. She turned away, just in time to see Lucas sneaking off towards the lake. She yelled to get everyone's attention and they all ran towards the lake shore.

Shelby saw him leaning over the dock as she ran closer. She stumbled and fell to the ground, grabbing her head.

 _It was like watching from someone else's point of view. She saw herself leaning over the dock when she was five. Her mother and father were up at the truck messing with their fishing gear. She saw the black shadow coming towards her underwater. She wanted to yell at herself._ Dean skidded to a halt next to her to help her up.

"No! Dean go! Save him!" She yelled as she heard splashing.

She pulled herself up as she heard Sam and Dean dive into the water. Taking a deep breath, she ran towards the dock. Before hitting the wood planks, she paused, she needed to rethink what she was running into. This was a battlefield. She took a deep breath and jumped in the water, diving down. Deeper and deeper, searching for the boy. She looked around quickly, seeing the sheriff being pulled down by something, no, someone. She pushed back the vision of her mother being dragged down. Battlefield. She saw Dean and Sam heading up for air, Dean's eyes widened when he saw her. She gave him a thumbs up.

She dived down further. Her lungs were starting to burn now. Just when she started to see black around the corners of her sight, she noticed a small figure floating downwards, almost serenely. She pumped her arms and legs towards him. Once she grabbed him she fought her way to the surface, letting the air bubbles escaping her lungs be her guide to which way was up. Almost there. Almost... there, just a little bit... longer.. _Battlefield._ She kept pumping her burning limbs, ignoring the fire in her lungs.

 _Breathe, Just breathe._

"Damn it, Shelby. Wake up. I can't lose you." Shelby choked up the water that was drowning her lungs. She opened her eyes to Dean's beautiful pale green ones. He leaned back and smiled. She returned it softly. Her eyes opened further in realization as to where she was. She bolted upright and looked around. Happiness found it's way to her face when she spotted a wet Lucas wrapped in his mother's arms. She looked back at Dean and threw her arms around him.

"You did it Princess. You saved him." He whispered in her ear.

 **-TOL-**

 **What'd you guys think? Not one of my favorite episodes but I thought it was perfect for Shelby to overcome her fear! As always reviews furl my writing fire! Thanks home slices, Gooseygirl**


	6. Dear Agony

**_Chapter 6: Dear Agony_**

 ** _I can feel it crawl beneath my skin._**

 ** _Dear Agony, just let go of me._**

 ** _Suffer slowly._**

 ** _Is this the way it's gotta be?_**

 ** _Don't bury me, faceless enemy,_**

 ** _I'm so sorry._**

 ** _Is this the way it's gotta be?_**

 ** _\- Breaking Benjamin_**

"Oh come on Sammy! We need a night off!" Shelby smiled up at the youngest Winchester. Sam sighed before setting his coffee and phone down on the motel night stand.

"What would we do then?"

"I don't know. Something fun. I can come up with a long list of fun things to do on a Saturday night." Dean chose that moment to step out of the bathroom and into the not-so-shabby motel room.

"Come on little brother, it's just one night. We can get a few drinks, catch a movie, rob a bank, get some hookers..." Dean trailed off. Shelby smiled when she noticed Dean trying to get his brothers attention. While the couple had been talking, Sam had returned his attention to his phone and was scrolling through it.

"I'll take your lack of a 'No' as a 'Yes'. I'll go get dressed." Shelby sprung from the bed she was sitting on and grabbed a pink duffel from the closet. She headed to the bathroom, humming some country tune loudly. She and the boys had been traveling non-stop for the past few weeks. They were long past due for a night out.

"You know, I was paying attention. And I am saying no. I found us a job." Shelby stopped walking and threw her duffel down. Her light humming turned into a deep groan. This wasn't fair. The three couldn't catch a break, between the airplane demon and the creepy mirror girl, Shelby was ready for a weekend of partying with her boys. She shivered, she still was wary every time she passed by her reflection.

" _Whyyyyyyyyyy_ must you torture me Sam?" The brunette huntress whined. Dean smirked at her lovingly while Sam rolled his eyes at her.

"We have to go. It's a friend of mine from school. Her brother's in trouble. Come on, get packed. They're at their parents' place in St. Louis." Sam immediately started packing. Shelby picked up her duffel and stormed outside to the Impala. Why couldn't he just give her and Dean one weekend. That's all she was asking for! After throwing her bag into the trunk, she walked back into the motel room and crossed her hands over her chest.

"Well come on slow pokes. We need to go rescue a damsel in distress." Sam rolled his eyes at her once again and walked past her out the door to the black classic out in the parking lot. Dean smiled and shut the motel door, placing a kiss on her cheek as he passed by.

"Come on Princess, I promise, next weekend we'll ditch Gigantor over there and hit Vegas. Whaddya say?" Shelby giggled and skipped to catch up with Dean. She shoved her hand into his back pocket.

"Don't tease me now! I'll hold you to that!" She squeezed her hand over his perfect tush and ran ahead, calling out shotgun while Sam was throwing his things in the trunk.

 **-TOL-**

"She seems nice Sammy." Dean said suggestively to his brother in the back seat. Shelby gave Dean a look. Even knowing about his feelings towards her, Shelby could still tell that Sam was still hurting from Jess' death. What normal human wouldn't be? Dean needed to back off on trying to get his brother some action.

"Yeah." Was all he could muster. His mind was going over all the information they had gathered. This was something they had never seen before. He didn't like the odds.

"Anyway, way to go. Now we have to dress the part for the cops, Sam. I was hoping for a homeless type theme for this job." Shelby was trying to lighten the mood. It wasn't quite working for Sam. Dean, on the other hand,

"Come on babe, you know I love when you dress all fancy. With those black heels. And those amazing grey pants. What I would-"

"Babe. Cut it out. Please." Shelby eyed Sam in the back. She didn't have feelings for him, not the way Sam would have liked; but she didn't appreciate Dean rubbing their relationship in his younger brother's face. Dean caught on and clenched his jaw. He had been going along with Sam for a while now, and he guessed Sam had gotten the message after Shelby said she had a talk with him, but he was a man... A man who had a beautiful woman at his side. On his other side, his brother, who also had feelings for her. He had a little bit of a right to brag about her with him around. Just as a reminder. Marking his territory.

Shelby punched him in the arm, hard.

"What was that for?"

"You know." Yeah, he knew. How did Shelby know? He mentally took back the thought of marking his territory. Sometimes he swore she could read his mind. Really freaked him out sometimes. Other times…

"Ow. Why'd you pinch me?" Shelby just gave him a look. _Yeah, he knew._

 **-TOL-**

The next morning Sam drove. Neither of the two bodies in the back of the Impala were really awake. He stopped behind Zach's house and got out. The two zombies, as he had referred to them earlier, drug themselves out of the car and over to him.

"Why are we up at five thirty in the morning again?" His older brother whined, clearly not happy about his beauty sleep getting interrupted.

"Well, if you _detectives_ had been paying attention at the video tape I played a million times for you, or the paperwork we got from the police chief, you would have noticed a hole in the investigation. The camera caught the perp going in, but not heading out." Shelby seemed to wake up at that. She looked around. She didn't notice anything out of the ordinary for a rich neighborhood alley.

"So they must have gone out the back." She started snooping around the trash cans and privacy fence lines around the alley they were occupying. While his brother and girlfriend were snooping around, Dean leaned casually on Baby's hood, sipping his coffee.

"I don't see anything over here." He mumbled. Shelby rolled her eyes. Dean definitely wasn't a morning person. Sam cleared his throat and nodded his head towards the telephone pole he was standing next to. Shelby followed his nod and walked towards the taller brother.

"Blood."

"Yeah, which means someone or something went this way." Just as Sam finished his sentence, an ambulance flew by them with lights aglow and sirens blasting. Shelby trotted across the one lane alleyway and plopped herself into the front seat. Sam threw Dean the keys to the Impala and hopped in. Dean gulped down the rest of his coffee and tossed it in a nearby dumpster before climbing into the car to trail the ambulance.

About thirty minutes later, Shelby and Sam were back to snooping around the alleyways and in trash cans while Dean mingled with the small group that had gathered around the newest attackers house.

"It's always the nice, quiet types you gotta look out for, huh?" Shelby said, almost to herself. Sam smiled tightly. She and Dean shared the same sense of humor. Which was a morbid one, by the way. When Sam was about ten, he had made friends with a stray cat that hung around the motel they were staying at. He had been feeding it leftover scraps, so it had decided to bring him a present… in the form of a dead mouse. He had yelled just loud enough to grab Shelby and Dean's attention. He wasn't fast enough to dispose of it before Shelby grabbed it by its tail and chased him around with it dangling in front of her, Dean laughing and jogging behind her. Sam shivered; he still hadn't forgiven her for that.

"Maybe, I just don't get it. I mean, Zach would never do what he's been accused of to anyone. From what that jogger said, neither would this guy. But it's weird how similar both cases are." Sam said, digging in a trash can. He was getting fed up with the dead ends. This wasn't normal textbook for them, and it worried him immensely.

"Yeah, same town, just a week apart. It is pretty funky." Shelby replied, helping Sam dig through the trash. Dean walked up to his companions. He cleared his throat. Shelby looked up out of the trash can. Sam clenched his jaw and stood upright, staring at his brother.

"So, heard from the first officer on scene who talked to this guy, Alex, he said that he was driving home from a conference when the wife was being attacked. And he saw himself in the house, knife in hand." Sam looked puzzled. Shelby sighed loudly and threw up her hands in defeat.

"So he was two places at once, just like Zach." Shelby said exasperatedly. She wanted a drink. She thought for a minute before Sam spoke up.

"Well, whatever it is we need to mark it down as a flying creature. Shelby and I found a trail from the back of the house through the alley. We lost it here. Just disappeared." Dean looked at Shelby, who was shuffling her feet, probably still deep in thought. She was so cute when she did that. _Stop it, Dean. People are dying._

"Maybe it's some kind of shapeshifter." Shelby hated to think about that. It brought back terrible memories. Dean seemed to understand, but he didn't say anything. If it was, he wasn't looking forward to this hunt.

"What like a werewolf, only like, a were-bird?" Sam quipped back. How could a shapeshifter fly? The only ones he'd read about were human to wolf shifters. Not any other animals. His dad had once mentioned the skin-walker, but as far as he knew, they were only legends. Dean and Shelby had never mentioned killing any before.

"No, skin-walker. And they didn't go up, they went down. Look." Shelby pointed down to the manhole cover Dean was standing on.

The trio surrounded the man hole cover. Shelby stepped back a few feet to allow the boys better access the lift the heavy metal slab out of the way so they could head down.

"Hey, we better get some back up. My mom and dad came onto skin-walker one time. Silver to the heart is the most effective way to off the fuckers." Shelby said quietly. She was so pissed that this thing had gotten away with beating and killing two women already. She was not about to let him make it to a third. The boys nodded and ran to the Impala to grab some extra ammo and some silver knives. Shelby stayed where she was to try and develope some sort of plan to attack this thing from all sides.

After heading down the ladder and walking for about an hour, the three came up on a huge pile of putrid smelling, slimy, skin colored gunk. Shelby had to take a few deep breaths before she could talk. By the looks of it, Sam and Dean did too.

"Well, I'd say we're close." Dean, always the one to point out the obvious. Shelby turned around to face the boys and rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Shelby had been in a bad mood since the trio had figured out what they had been hunting, but he was trying to lighten her mood just a bit. Dean smirked for a split second before shining his flashlight behind Shelby and yelling. Sam lunged forward trying to pull her out of the way.

"Watch out!" Dean screamed. It was too late. The skin-walker slammed his fist into the side of Shelby's head, effectively knocking her into a big pipe running along side the wall. She slumped down to the ground. Sam caught her. Dean shot at the monster, but missed. He pulled her out of Sam's arms roughly and moved her hair out of the way. Her eye was already swelling up and she had a huge bruise forming on her cheek. The side of her head where she hit the pipe had a nice sized gash on it that was slowly oozing dark blood.

"Shelby, baby are you okay?" Dean asked quickly, Sam's eyes ran back and forth between the way the skin-walker went and Shelby. She scrambled rather messily out of Dean's arms and waved her hands in the air.

"I'm fine!" She yelled.

"Go get the son of a bitch!" Sam stood along with Dean. Dean looked at Shelby hard.

"Are you sure you're okay? You got hit hard."

"Dean, damn it, if you don't take your brother and follow that bastard, another woman is going to die and another innocent man will be charged. If you don't leave now I'm grounding you from co-ed showers. Now, _GO_!" Dean didn't have to be told twice. She was cracking jokes, she would be fine. He kissed her non-bruised cheek.

"Okay, call us when you get back to the motel."

"Go Dean!" Sam grabbed Dean's arm and the brothers turned and ran down the sewer, tracking the skin-walker.

 **-TOL-**

Shelby had finally made her way back to the motel room. She didn't want to take Dean's car back because of all the extra ammo in it. She had her .9 mil if she needed it. Taking said gun out of her holster and laying on the kitchenette counter, Shelby began undressing. She was ready for a shower; the boys wouldn't be back until they found another clue or found the monster. Shelby was hoping for the latter. She hoped he went down just as gruesomely as the victims did. Getting a bad feeling, Shelby called Dean's phone. No answer. Maybe they had found the thing and were dealing with it…

After her shower, Shelby walked out of the bathroom in her towel. No sign of the boys yet. It had been at least an hour since she split up with them. She pulled on her panties and bra, then some sleeping shorts. She spotted her her phone sitting on the nightstand. No new alerts. She grabbed it and started dialing Dean's number again. Just as she was about to hit talk, Dean walked in, holding his ringing phone up.

"Hey!" Shelby ran over to him and jumped in his arms, not caring she was only in shorts and a bra.

"I've been worried sick about you guys. Wait, where's Sam?" She asked, concerned. Dean pulled back and shrugged.

"Well, after we took care of everything, we hit up the local pub, Sam ended up finding some lucky lady to go home with tonight. So we have the room all to ourselves. Shelby nodded suspiciously towards Dean. That was weird. Sam was in no condition to be going home with someone. At least from what she could tell from how he's been acting lately. Something wasn't right. If they had taken out the skin-walker, Dean should have smelled like it.

"Well, lucky us." Shelby said as she pulled on her tank top. She was suddenly feeling way too exposed. Dean eyed her appreciatively before stepping close to her again. He leaned in and landed his lips onto Shelby's. Shelby waited a split second before pushing herself off of the monster and turning to grab her .9 mil off of the counter. It had the silver bullets in it. She grabbed it and turned around just in time to shoot. She didn't anticipate the Skin-walker to be as fast as he was. If he had been a few feet further away, she would have gotten him right in the ticker. As it was, the bullet hit him in the left shoulder. It limited him but didn't stop him.

Last thing Shelby remembered was Dean's smiling face down at her before he punched her in the face again, she flew into the counter and dropped her gun. Everything went black.

A few minutes later Shelby opened her swollen eyes. She tried to move but couldn't. She was tied to a damn chair. Not with rope or handcuffs, two things she could have easily escaped from. Zip ties. They had already cut deep into her wrists and ankles. The blood was dripping languidly down the undersides of her wrist and trailing down the cracked, wooden arms rests of the chair. She tried turning her head but was disappointed when it strained her muscles. She heard dark laughing coming from the bed.

"Well, well, well. I was waiting for you to wake up. I've had my eye on you. You're very pretty. Not as much as my last victim, money-grabbing whore she was. You're beauty is much more muted. I'll have fun just the same." Shelby glared at him. Her mind searching for ways to escape. _When would the boys be back?!_

"Now, I took the liberty of looking through some of your bags while you slept. You have some very naughty things in here." Shelby's mind reeled at which bag he was talking about. The pervert. He pulled out a pair of chopsticks from her weapon bag. She slightly relaxed, not her undergarment bag. She steeled herself again when she remembered how sharp those chop sticks were. He pulled out a few more items from her bag, including pliers, knives, and a hammer. She gulped.

Agony. That was all Shelby felt. Not fear, no. She was long past fearing; she knew it was coming. No denying that. The skin-walker took his time with Shelby. He was getting frustrated when she hadn't made a sound. He smacked her across the face again. Blood splattered on the ground next to her torn tank top.

"Come on darlin' I need just a peep outta you. I'm sure it sounds just wonderful coming out of that mouth of yours." Shelby couldn't see through her swollen eyes. To tell the truth, her lips were so swollen she wasn't sure she could talk if she wanted to. The Dean-look-alike grabbed a knife from his pile. Shelby started to let the tears drip from her eyes when she heard him start to sharpen it. He traced the knife down her collarbone, in-between her breasts, snapping her bra, before he went down to the top of her naval. A thin trail of blood started seeping out, spreading over her bruised upper torso. It burned so bad. Her whole body did. He had made sure to leave bruises over any exposed skin. She had scratches along her arms, and swelling bite marks along her neck and collarbone.

She tried so hard not to scream when the imposter licked up her neck to her ear. She nearly knocked herself over when he grabbed her stud in his mouth and yanked away from her ear as hard as he could. It tore her earring out with a sickening sound. Her neck was warmed once again by the blood seeping down her neck. He spit the silver horseshoe stud out and laughed at her silent tears. He'd never had a woman last this long before. Usually he'd have finished them off, but this bitch was too frustrating. It had been three and a half hours since he had started and not a peep out of her. His patience was wearing thin.

She was so weak, she couldn't hold her head up any longer. She tried to be brave, but she had lost so much blood in so little time. No one was coming for her. She had not been expecting to go out like this. She had barely lived her life. Thoughts of Dean popped up in her mind. Fond memories of when they were kids; still in the life but so much more innocent at the same time. She kept going through her life with Dean, she started crying harder. Dean wasn't here, not her Dean. Evil-Dean was, though. The longer she tried to keep the good memories of him in front of her blacked out eyes, the harder it got. All she could see now was blood-covered Dean, torturing her with her own tools. Those tools were meant for monsters. Monsters like this Dean.

This monster was dragging it out so long. She begged silently for him to end her. _This is it._ She thought. This was how her short life was going to end. _So be it. Let it come. I will welcome death like an old friend._

She took all the energy she had left and screamed. Not the warrior scream she normally carried with her. The sound that came out her was all her pain. Gut-wrenching, blood-curdling, agonizing horror movie scream. She didn't have anything left to fight with. The skin-walker jumped back a bit from cutting her shorts off when she screamed. He held his hands to his ears. Before he could think, the door broke open.

 **-TOL-**

A few hours later, Sam met up with Dean in town. They gave up. They met up with the monster once, a short scuffle had landed both men knocked out momentarily.. The skin-walker's trail had died shortly after that.

"Well, let's head back to the hotel. Shelby hasn't called yet. I don't want her to fall asleep in case she has a concussion." Dean suggested. He reached in his front pocket for his cell phone. Cursing loudly he reached into his other pockets. Sam looked at him questioningly. Dean cursed louder this time.

"Son of a bitch, I lost my damn cell phone." Dean opened the door to the Impala and jumped in; starting it while Sam buckled up. He was already anxious to get back to Shelby. She had said she'd be fine but he knew she was shaken up. She doesn't take being put down in a fight well. Now come to find out he lost his phone. Hell, she had probably called him a thousand times by now.

Dean turned the Impala down the street where the hotel was and took in a sharp breath when he saw an ambulance speeding past them. Sam grabbed his arm when they pulled into the parking lot. Their hotel room door was busted open and about fifteen cops were mulling around. One officer was zipping up a body bag. Dean's stomach dropped. His blood ran loud in his ears. He only had one thing on his mind.

"Wait, Dean. We need to chill out and come up with a plan first. This has Shapeshifter written all over it. He could have been impersonating one of us and got to Shelby." Sam's voice cracked when he spoke her name. He didn't want to think about that.

"My money is on you. So let me go check it out and see what happened." Dean clenched his jaw and swung into a parking space in the back of the parking lot. He was fuming. He wanted nothing more than to go check that black bag. It better not have her in it. He would go ballistic.

A few minutes later Sam hopped back into the car and breathed out. Dean could have taken it two ways. He took it that only way his hunter mind would let him.

"No." Was all he could muster up. He didn't even tell her he loved her before they split up. How could he do that?! Sam breathed out.

"It was the shifter. I was right, he was posing as you. From the looks of it, Shelby noticed. She got him in the shoulder. Another two inches down and she would have had him. Dean, I need to go to the county hospital." Dean started the car and backed out, burning rubber out of the parking lot. Sam sighed.

"Dean, you have to lay low. The local cops have your face plastered all over the town as the murderer. If someone in the hospital sees you, a dead man walking around, I don't know what would happen." Dean said nothing while he sped down the highway. He clenched and unclenched his jaw so hard he thought his teeth were going to crack. Twelve minutes into what would normally be a forty minute drive, the Impala pulled into the Emergency Room parking lot. Dean shut the car off and looked at his baby brother.

"Sammy, I can't stay away from her. She needs me. If she dies in there, I don't know what I'd..." A tear leaked out of Dean's emerald eyes. He stared forward, not comfortable with his little brother seeing how much this was breaking him.

"Dean, if you get yourself caught, you can't be there for her when she gets out. Let things simmer down a bit and we'll play it by ear. I'll call you with an update. We aren't too far from Bobby's. Go hang out there until I give you a call." Dean sighed. He knew Sam was right. He wouldn't be any good to Shelby in prison. It would be hard to get out of that one.

Sam patted Dean's shoulder before he got out of the Impala. He took a deep breath and walked into the hospital. He shivered. He didn't like hospitals. The smells, the... people. He walked up to the reception desk and cleared his throat. The older woman chewing gum and doing last weeks crossword puzzle looked up at him through her thick bifocals.

"Can I help you?" Sam held back another shiver. Her voice was nasally and annoying.

"Yes, I'm here to see a patient. She was brought in less than an hour ago. A Jane Doe. She was involved in an attempted homicide out at the Starlight Motel." The woman looked through her folders laying messily on her desk. She opened the one labeled POLICE OFFICIAL on it. She read through it for a second and threw it back down on her desk. Sam rolled his eyes. She went back to her crossword puzzle and talked lazily to the man in front of her.

"Police only." Sam sighed and grabbed his fake FBI badge out of his inner jacket pocket. She took a glance at it and buzzed him through. Sam jogged down the hallway, passing by trauma victims, some were screaming, some were crying. He came to the last door on the left. There was an overweight cop sitting down outside the door. Sam flashed his I.D. and the cop let him through.

"Oh, Shelby."

 **-TOL-**

 **I actually had a lot more planned for this chapter when I originally posted it, but decided to cut it in half, then when I revamped it, I added so much more. Oh well. Reviews are my fuel for the writing fire. Thanks minions. Gooseygirl**


	7. Say Something

_**Chapter 7: Say Something**_

 _ **Say something, I'm giving up on you.**_

 _ **I'll be the one if you want me to.**_

 _ **Anywhere I would've followed you.**_

 _ **Say something, I'm giving up on you.**_

 _ **\- A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera**_

"Oh, Shelby." Sam breathed out. She was asleep on the crisp hospital bed. There were cuts and bruises all over her exposed skin. Her lip was busted up pretty good, and her eyes were still a little swollen. Her nose had a butterfly bandage and stitches over it. The bastard. Sam clenched his jaw and walked up to her. Hearing his soft voice among the beeping machines pulled her out of whatever dream she had been having.

"Sam?" She said. Her voice was hoarse from screaming. She had woken up halfway through the drive to the hospital and had a panic attack; they had to subdue her with a shot. She tried sitting up in bed. No good, the wires and her own weakness prevented it. Her body screamed in pure agony as she let herself fall down onto the white sheets once more. Sam rushed over to her and sat next to her on the bed; he grabbed her right hand softly within his own. Sam couldn't tell if it was Shelby's hand or his own that was sweating. He swallowed audibly before speaking.

"Shelby, what happened? Who found you? Dean and I came up after we lost the trail and there were a bunch of cops everywhere. They had already taken you here. I checked out the motel room. Dean had to go to Bobby's to avoid the police. He'll be waiting for us when we get you out of here." Sam said gently. He didn't want to overwhelm Shelby. She closed her eyes. She was trying to remember everything clearly.

"The cops found me. Someone reported hearing a gunshot apparently, from where I shot him. They, uh… They broke the door open as he was um… He had just started to..." She opened her dull green eyes and looked at Sam hard. Tears were beginning to fall down her bruised face. Sam didn't say anything. He knew to let Shelby talk if she needed to. She wasn't one for sharing, so when she opened the door, Sam never shut it. He took in a shaky breath, not sure if she was going to continue. He wanted to kill the bastard all over again when he saw him in the body bag with his pants down.

"Sam, I don't know if I want to go to Bobby's." Sam could tell it was hard for her to confess that to him. Her voice cracked a few times. He sighed and released her hand, grabbing a chair from across the room and sitting more comfortably in it.

"Shelby, before too long, they're going to run fingerprints on you. We can't let that happen." Shelby looked at Sam sadly and nodded.

"I'm scared Sam. I just... Don't know if I can look at him right now." Sam's eyes got wide at what Shelby said. That skin-walker must have really messed with her mind. What would Dean think? How was he even going to tell his older brother that the love of his life didn't want to look at him. _Screw Dean. Shelby needs you. Be there for her._ Sam smiled softly and grabbed her hand again.

"Well, we can hole up somewhere until you're ready, okay?" Shelby smiled softly at the youngest Winchester brother and laid her head back down on the soft white pillow. She let her eyes drift shut, all the while thinking of how safe she felt while Sam was sitting over her. When Shelby had finally fallen into a deep sleep, Sam took out his phone and dialed Dean's back-up number. It rang once.

"How is she Sam? Is she okay? Can I come get you guys now?" Dean's voice was low and worry seeped through the receiver into Sam's ear. He sighed. Again. Even though some part of him was happy Shelby didn't want to see Dean, he didn't like the circumstances.

"Dean, listen. That monster, it looked like you. It tortured Shelby. Bad. She's beat up. That's physically, I don't know what's going on in her head. She won't tell me much about what happened. But Dean, she did-"

"I'm turning around. She needs me. I should be there with her! Not you!" Sam pulled the phone back from his ear at Dean's shouting.

"Dean, she doesn't want to see you right now." Silence. Sam waited a second before clearing his throat.

"Dean? Are you still-"

"Yeah. Call me when she gets out."

"Okay. Bye Dean." Sam pulled the phone away from his ear, going to hang up.

"Sammy?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell her I love her. Tell her I'll be waiting for her. Tell her to be strong for me, because I need her. More than anything." Sam could hear his brothers tears through the phone. He took a long pause before replying.

"Yeah, okay. Call you later." Sam shoved the phone back into his pocket. He looked at the sleeping woman one last time before pulling the covers up more over her thin frame. He told himself he didn't want to wake her; not for Dean's message. He stood up and headed to the reception desk to start the discharge paperwork. He was going to try and pull her as an FBI suspect. Hopefully it would work.

 **-TOL-**

Three days later they were on the road. Zach and the other charged man were released, the Dean Look-A-Like was charged with all three counts of torture. Case closed. Sam still hadn't spoken to Shelby about his conversation with Dean. He was going to enjoy this time with her, even after what happened. He wasn't going to watch her spiral if he mentioned his brothers name. They holed up in a tiny motel room a few towns away from Bobby's. Shelby spent most of the time sleeping or watching Three's Company re-runs. Sam spent most of the time watching her. On the sixth day, Sam was sleeping in his bed, the sun hadn't woken him up yet. He felt a now familiar weight on the bed as Shelby crawled in next to him. He put his arm around her and started rubbing lightly on her back.

"Hey." He breathed out. Shelby snuggled into the crook of his shoulder more. It was comfortable, but it wasn't Dean's body she was curled into. It didn't feel natural. It felt safe. That's what she needed right now. To feel safe. Dean's face flashed through her mind again and she started crying, not out of fear. She was mad at herself for being so scared. The man waiting for her at Bobby's was not the same man who did this to her. Yet she couldn't get that through her brain. She hated herself. Would Dean understand? She wasn't sure she would if the rolls were reversed. She also wasn't sure if she should be asking this question to Sam. But she didn't really have anyone else to talk to.

"You ever think about if Dean and I hadn't been together?" Sam smirked lightly, although a small frown graced his forehead. He had definitely thought about it. A million times.

"What?"

"I mean, if Dean and I weren't a thing, I don't think I'd be so messed up from this. Ya know?" Shelby turned her almost healed face up towards the man in bed with her. _Wrong brother_. She blinked a few times. Stupid heart. Stupid head. Stupid _her_. Sam took a big breath in, his big chest pushing against Shelby.

"Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud... Never mind." Shelby sat up in the bed, before she could get out, Sam bolted up and kissed her. Shelby was so stunned, she couldn't move. Her eyes were still open, looking at Sam's face. She pulled back gently and put her hands on his chest.

"Sam... I think you took that whole conversation the wrong way..." She wasn't mad at him. She felt so bad for him. This wasn't fair to Sam. Her clinging onto him for comfort. _That's your boyfriend's job, dipshit_. Shelby didn't want to string him along. She hadn't realized she was until the moment his soft lips met her still swollen ones.

"I'm sorry." He was suddenly very interested in getting a manicure. Shelby sat there, waiting to see if that was all he had to say.

"I just, hate seeing you like this Shelby. I want to comfort you and be here for you. It's just hard not to feel these things when I'm around you. Especially when Dean's not here." Shelby looked at the youngest brother softly before grabbing his face with her hands. She leaned in and placed a soft, chaste kiss onto his cheek.

"Sam, I love you, very much. I would do anything for you. Hell, I'd take a bullet for you. And I will never be able to repay you for what you've been helping me with these past few days. But I think it's time I buck up and face my fears…" She paused to take in a shaky breath.

"I miss him, Sam. So much. I'm mad at myself for being so scared. And I think being here with you is only keeping me scared, because I feel so safe here with you, like I never have to see him again. But my heart aches so bad. I love him so much. I don't know what to do anymore." Shelby had started crying halfway through the first sentence. She clenched her chest. When she said her heart hurt, she wasn't lying. The longer she was away from Dean under these circumstances, the more her body physically _hurt_. She was making herself sick. She wiped her eyes with her hands and looked up into Sam's hazel eyes. With the look Sam gave her, she knew he didn't take her telling him she loved him wrong. Good. Because she did love him, he was her family.

"Okay. Okay so, we just need to get packed up. I can have us back at Bobby's in about 5 hours." Sam got up out of bed quickly and started packing his things. Shelby took a deep breath. She had a burst of courage about facing Dean again. But she had a feeling that might change when she actually saw him again. She needed to do this though. She would never get better if she didn't face her fear.

 **-TOL-**

Almost a month had passed and Dean was heartbroken. Shelby would barely talk to him. When she did, it was about the current hunt they were on that week. He knew that skin-walker had messed her up, but he didn't think it would take this long for her to deal with it. He wanted to hold her so badly it made him sick. He heard her crying at night and saying his name in her dreams. The first night they returned, a week after the accident, she had been having a nightmare. Dean got up from the couch where he was sleeping and crawled into bed next to her. It felt so right.

She had bolted awake and screamed bloody murder to his face, scrambling away, falling backwards off the bed. Sam jumped out of his bed and scooped her up in his arms. She calmed down immediately. Dean watched as his brother put _his_ girlfriend down on the other bed. Sam glanced over to Dean. He had been expecting something close to a punch in the face, or gut. Maybe a bullet to the head? He was not expecting a pair of red-rimmed green eyes with tears falling out of them. Dean didn't say a word. Just grabbed his jacket and gun and walked out. Sam could hear the Impala's engine roar to life and tires peeling out of the parking lot. Shelby hadn't said a word the next morning as Dean came stumbling in, still drunk, and grumbled about the case.

Dean hadn't tried to help Shelby with her nightmares since then. He knew they were about him. He could hear Shelby talking to Sam about them sometimes when they thought he was asleep. He was ready to give up. He wanted to give up on her. It was breaking his heart seeing the scared and pained look in her eyes every time she looked at him. It wasn't fair to her when she saw him looking at her with longing. Dean would do anything for this girl. If she wanted him, then he would be there. He would follow her anywhere, to the ends of the oceans. She just wouldn't talk to him. He needed her to talk to him.

Shelby, on the other hand, was fighting with herself every day. She could barely talk to Dean. It was easy to talk business. Her mindset changed when she thought about killing monsters. It was talking about other things that made her want to combust. She was so angry and sad when she saw how Dean looked at her. She wasn't being fair to him. She needed to say something before he gave up.

It was a bright and sunny morning when Dean was woken up by a gentle shaking of his shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes and turned over. He came face-to-face with Shelby. A pleasant surprise.

"Good morning, Pr- Is everything okay?" Dean stopped himself from calling her Princess. He was trying not to trigger anything. This was the first time she had reached out to him in any way. She looked at Sam, still asleep in his own bed, and nodded towards the door. Dean raised his eyebrows but followed the beauty outside.

He leaned on the railing of the small motel porch they were on. Blood red clouds filled the morning sky, fading into dark blues the further away from the sunrise. He let his eyes drift over Shelby. She was drowning in one of his old, faded Metallica band shirts and a pair of her pajama shorts, almost invisible under the hem of his shirt. Her long brown hair was pulled messily up in a huge bun, hanging sideways off her head, and her eyes were puffy from crying. Dean didn't speak. He was too scared. Even though he had a million things he wanted to say, Shelby needed to engage him first. He heard her take a deep breath and turn her head towards him. He jolted his eyes back up the the clouds so as not to freak Shelby out.

"Beautiful, huh?" Shelby said, looking at the red sunrise. Dean tore his eyes away from the clouds, towards Shelby.

"Yeah. Sure as hell is." He said softly. Shelby didn't meet his eyes. He turned back out to the water.

"Red sky at night, sailors' delight-"

"Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.." Dean finished the little saying, still looking out at the horizon. Seagulls flew over the sparkling water. They could hear the noises of the sleepy sea-side town starting to wake up. Boat engines were roaring to life, Captains shouted orders at their fishermen. Dogs barking, children playing happily, waiting for the bus to take them to school. Shelby's mind went to a different time and place.

 **-TOL-**

 _Shelby sat about ten feet behind Dean, who had a chair planted right at the edge of the water. His bare feet were mushed down in the sand, toes wiggling every time a wave him them. She was watching him cast out a fishing pole over the crystal blue water of the bay._

 _"You can come closer, nothing will get you. I promise. Besides, you can see the bottom of the ocean for miles out. It's why they call it Clearwater." Dean had a slight smirk on his face. Shelby sighed and scooted her chair closer to the teenage boy. She was rigid in her beach chair, with a wary glare at the ocean water. Once she was satisfied that nothing could sneak up on her, she moved her green eyes to the horizon. She smiled._

 _"It's gorgeous. I've never been to the ocean before. I think this has to be the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen." Dean agreed with her. The crimson sky was a sharp contrast to the dark water further out in the ocean. Rich violets and indigos blended together in the evening sky._

 _"You know, there's a saying my mom used to tell me when we came here before Sam was born. See, I would always ask her and my dad if we could go out on this fishing boat my dad used to rent. She got so tired of telling me yes or no every day." Dean laughed along with Shelby. She could see that happening._

 _"Red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning."_

 _"That's beautiful." Dean nodded in agreement and turned back to his pole._

 _"Yeah, I used to think she made it up herself, until we ate at the local restaurant a week later and I saw the saying on the wall behind her chair." Shelby smiled even brighter than she already was. There was a pregnant pause between the two._

 _"I could probably stay here forever. Watching the sun rise and set. Right here in this spot." Shelby sighed comfortably. Dean reeled his line back in and put more bait on it. He threw the line back out and set the pole down over a crudely made holder and stared at Shelby. She was wearing dark blue jean shorts and a white tank top. She had her mom's rose earrings on, as well as the black rose and diamond ring. Her long brown hair was in a loose braid off the side of her neck. The sunset wasn't the prettiest thing here tonight, Dean decided._

 _"You know, the view from the town is great at night, all the lights shining off the bay. But there's a spot about a mile out that my dad used to take us to on clear nights, we would sleep on the boat, watch the sunset. The lights would come on shortly after. The town's lights from out there, it's so beautiful, I used to think there was nothing to compare it to. Then in the morning, the fog horns would wake us up just in time to see the sunrise." Shelby smiled._

 _"That sounds amazing." She hesitated._

 _"One day, when we get you comfortable in the water, I'm taking you to my family's old spot. I promise."_

 _"And what if I never get over this fear?"_

 _"I'll make sure of it."_

 _"Okay."_

 _"Okay. Now, does the Princess wanna learn how to throw a proper line out?"_

 **-TOL-**

She finally raised her eyes to his.

"Do you remember Clearwater?" She asked timidly. Dean smiled softly and looked back out at the water. She had looked so beautiful that day. The sun shining on her sun-bleached hair, her dark tanned skin against that white tank top.

"Yeah."

"Dean, I... I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. But I do know that it's been killing you. This isn't fair. I don't know how to fix it." A lone tear broke out from her green eyes as she finished speaking. Dean took in a sharp breath. He didn't want to fuck this up.

"Shelby. I love you. I always will. No matter what. I'll be here for you. The only thing that is killing me is watching you suffer and I can't do a _damn_ thing about it. I have to watch... I have to watch my brother comfort you. That's supposed to be _my_ job." Dean tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. He stepped closer to her. He could see her body tense at the small movement. _Say something, damn it._

"I love you, too. I miss you. I hate this. I just, don't know how to overcome it. I know it wasn't _you_. Not _really_ you at least, that did this to me." Shelby stepped closer to Dean, her body still tense. She looked up at him, searching for some kind of answer to help her through this.

"I can help you. You just have to let me in. That's all. Please." Shelby stared hard at Dean. She was shaking so hard, being this close to him. It brought up so many memories. She bit her bottom lip, then sucked in a breath when her teeth hit a cut that hadn't healed all the way. She looked up at Dean's face.

"I feel so many emotions around you. Most of them are the good ones. But the bad ones, from that monster; he just, trumps them all. I just can't seem to shake him." She rested her forehead on his chest, seeming to relax a bit. She was having the biggest internal battle she could remember having. She knew that it wasn't Dean that did this to her. She still loved him and missed his touch every day.

"You gotta talk to me. I can't help you unless you tell me what's going through that pretty little head of yours." Shelby smiled softly, remembering her twentieth birthday. The night Dean told her he loved her. Her smile got a bit bigger before it fell again. She took a deep breath and really thought about why she was such a mess. Was the anger she was feeling directed towards the beast that did this? Or was it at herself for letting it get to her? dean waited patiently for a few minutes before shuffling his feet, slightly impatient, but trying to be understanding. The slight movement brought Shelby out of her thought and back to what she wanted to say.

"I guess the biggest reason I'm still a mess is because I'm mad at myself. I'm mad because I haven't let you in yet. I'm mad because I got so weak… in front of him. I'm mad because I'm hurting you. I'm mad because I'm letting some fucking monster ruin my life. I don't want to be that kind of person Dean." Dean thought for a heartbeat about what to say. Should he be soft towards her? Would she be soft towards him? He decided to say exactly what he was thinking, which some people would think of as slightly harsh, but he knew from experience that was how Shelby got through things the best.

"Well, Shelby. You have to let it go. Let your anger go. The bastard's dead. There's no need for him to be ruining you anymore. You're the strongest person I know." Dean smiled when the girl in front of him wrapped her arms around his chest. She didn't give up on him. He felt guilty for wanting to give up on her. He hugged her so tight, like he would never let go. He lowered his head and dug his face into the crook of her shoulder, trying not to let any tears fall, but failing after a few moments. He could still feel how tense she was, but the important part was that he was touching her. She was letting him touch her. His heart felt like it was bursting.

Shelby felt so relieved. She tried to tell her body to relax. This is Dean. _Her Dean_. The one that had always been there for her. The one who would never, in a million years, lay a hand on her. She started to relax her body, letting herself sink into her man's arms. She let go. Of everything. She let go of the anger towards the skin-walker, she let go of the anger towards herself. She let go of it all. Once she felt her shoulder sleeve getting slightly wet, her own tears streamed freely down her face, soaking Dean's white shirt. He held onto her hard, letting her know he would never let her go.

"Dean. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Princess."

"Say it again." Dean was confused slightly.

"It's okay. Everything will be fine. I'm here now." He stroked the back of her head with his hand. The other still gripped tightly around her waist.

"No..."

"Princess?"

"He never said it. He called me so many things. But he never uttered that word. That's what kept me hanging on." Dean's heart broke all over again. His poor baby girl. All he knew is he needed to hold her. Tell her everything would be alright, even if he wasn't sure it would be. They stayed like that, Dean leaning backwards on the porch railing with Shelby wrapped tightly in his arms, softly breathing into his chest, for a long while before Sam busted through the motel door. Dean held on tightly to Shelby when she jumped at the commotion.

Sam just stared at the couple. He didn't have anything to say. He knew this time would come. He just wished it would never have come, that she would never build up the courage to do what she had said she needed to almost a month ago. Who was he kidding? Shelby was the strongest person he knew.

"Guys, uh. I need to talk to you." Shelby pulled away from Dean reluctantly. She walked past Sam into the low lit hotel room to sit and wait for whatever research Sam had gathered on their current case. Dean walked toward the open motel door before Sam shoved a large hand in his brother's chest.

"I'm happy for you guys. I've never seen her so miserable without you." Dean didn't make eye contact with his younger brother, just nodded once and pushed past the hand into the room.

 **-TOL-**

 **What did ya'll think? You know by now reviews fuel my writing fire. Thanks Darlings. Gooseygirl**


	8. The House That Built Me

_**Chapter 8: The House That Built Me**_

 _ **I thought if I could touch this place or feel it,**_

 _ **this brokenness inside me might start healing.**_

 _ **Out here its like I'm someone else,**_

 _ **I thought that maybe I could find myself.**_

 _ **If I could walk around I swear I'll leave.**_

 _ **Won't take nothing but a memory**_

 _ **from the house that built me.**_

 _ **-Miranda Lambert**_

Dean was sitting up in bed with the laptop nestled on his lap. Shelby had woken early that morning, mentioning something about going for a run before she hopped in the shower. She had been running a lot lately, since her and Dean had started talking and acting, for the most part, like nothing ever happened. He was okay with that. Maybe that wasn't a good thing, but Shelby and him were alike with the fact that they weren't good with a lot of chick-flick moments, for lack of a better word. Sometimes Dean thought maybe that wasn't the best thing for them, but it worked, and that's all that mattered.

Sam was up as well. Dean glanced at his brother. Since Shelby had come around, he had been quiet. Dean also noticed he hadn't been sleeping well at night. Currently, his baby brother was slouching in the chair at the kitchenette table, drawing furiously on a notepad. He had been doing that a lot lately too.

"So Sammy, I found a couple of cases. You mind hittin' Route 66? There's been a couple of weird drownings in a town in California. There's another one out in-"

"Do you recognize this tree?" Sam interrupted. Dean moved his eyes from his laptop screen to Sam's dark drawing slowly, slightly annoyed at how rude Sam was being. Staring at the crude drawing he realized that he did recognize it, but he wasn't sure from where. Shelby decided to walk in at that moment. Sam put the sketch pad down and cleared his throat. The awkwardness was rolling off of Sam in waves. Shelby didn't notice. Dean admired Shelby's sweaty body, clad in only a sports bra and green shorts, her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. Dean could see the tattoo she had recently acquired, a quote from some book series her and Sam had read as kids.

 **-TOL-**

 _"What do you think Dean?" Shelby asked as she walked into the motel room. They had just gotten off of another hunt, simple salt and burn. Shelby was slowly coming around. They had been sleeping in the same bed now. Her nightmares weren't as bad. She had been reading a lot. He noticed it helped her. Dean looked at her tan face a bit longer before following her hands. They pulled the loose-fitting tank top up to reveal the right side of her ribcage. On the side, still red from the ink gun, was an intricately carved sentence. It had a lightning bolt beside it._

 _"Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light." Dean read it a couple of times, admiring the artwork that went into the font. He looked up at Shelby's face and saw the joy in it. He smiled._

 _"I love it, baby. It looks great." Shelby smiled. She had been rereading the Harry Potter series for a while now and this quote hit her deep. It was from Dumbledore. It was such a true statement, and it meant a lot to her that Dean loved it, even though she could tell he didn't know where it came from._

 _"Good, because you were the inspiration. You've been my happiness in these dark times. You've helped me overcome a lot of my own demons. You've helped me turn on the light." She ended her small speech with a smile, still standing in front of the bed. Dean jumped up and grabbed her softly, before kissing her deeply. He pulled away after a few moments and spoke breathlessly._

 _"No more chick-flick moments." He put his lips softly onto Shelby's smiling ones for just a moment before she pulled away._

 _"So what does this count as? Soft-core porn?" Dean threw his head back and laughed heartily, making Shelby's giggle turn into an obnoxious laugh. He dragged her down onto the bed and started kissing her again, neither speaking a word for the rest of the afternoon._

 **-TOL-**

"Hey guys. You find another hunt yet? I'm itching for one" Shelby said lightly as she moved to grab a water bottle from the fridge. She stopped at the table where Sam was sitting.

"Hey, I know that tree." Sam and Dean looked at the brunette surprisingly.

"You do? From where?" Sam asked quickly. He needed to know why he kept drawing this tree and where it came from. Maybe he could help... Shelby gulped down some of the water before setting it back onto the counter and heading for Dean's leather jacket. She reached in the inside pocket and grabbed John Winchester's journal out of it and flipped to the back. After searching a few pages, Shelby grabbed a paper-clipped Polaroid from the yellowed pages and handed it to Sam. It was the picture of John, Mary, Sam, and Dean. They were in front of their old house. Sam could tell they were all leaning against the black Impala. The gnarled tree was standing alone in the front yard behind them. Dean hopped out of bed and walked over to Sam. He leaned over the chair that his brother was sitting in and looked at the picture. He didn't remember it being taken. He was so young back then. His parents looked so young. So happy.

"Dean, Shelby, we need to go back to Kansas."

"Why?" They asked in unison. Sam wasn't sure how to tell them about his dreams without at least one of them flipping their lid.

"I keep having this dream. I've been remembering it in bits and pieces. There's a woman trapped in this house. Something is keeping her in there. We need to help her. I kept seeing this tree. I couldn't remember where it was from." Shelby nodded her head. Dean stood a few feet back from his brother.

"What do you mean you've been having dreams? What kind of dreams?" Dean looked to Shelby, like she might have that answer. She just raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders to Dean. She was just as curious.

"Well, dreams, visions maybe, they've come true before. I don't know man. I just have a bad feeling about this. Come on, just humor me." Sam was getting flustered, this was not how he wanted this conversation to go. Shelby nodded to him and grabbed her duffel bag from the floor. She headed towards the bathroom.

"Just let me shower and change and I'll be ready. It can't be more that an 8 hour drive from here."

"Wait, you're okay with this? This doesn't seem at all a little weird to you?" Dean asked heatedly. How could she just trust him?

"Yeah." She was way too relaxed about this! Dean turned back to his brother.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's really going on." Dean crossed his arms over his chest. Shelby rolled her eyes and turned back towards the bathroom. Sure, it sounded a little weird to her, but she knew Sam had been in a sour mood for a while, so she was going to "humor" him, as he said.

"You can stay here if you want ya pansy. If you don't trust him, trust me. We're going to Kansas when I get out of the shower." Sam tried to hide his smirk from Dean. It didn't work. He was worried about his brother. Shelby slammed the bathroom door. Once the water came on and they could hear her singing, Dean turned back to Sam and waited for an explanation.

 **-TOL-**

The next morning, Dean slowly pulled up to his old childhood home. He took a deep breath and wiped his sweaty hands on his black suit pants. He heard Sam get out of the car. He jumped slightly at the soft touch of Shelby's hand on his thigh. He tore his eyes away from the quaint house.

"Dean, are you okay? You don't have to go. You can stay here."

"I promised myself that I would never come back here." He grabbed her smaller hand tightly. She squeezed as hard as she could. Dean squeezed back.

"Hey, look at me. Dean. Baby, you can do this. You're strong. I believe in you. Your brother needs you. I don't have that connection to him like you do." Dean felt his chest swell with courage. She had enough bravery for the both of him.

Dean wandered away from Jenny and Sam looking through old family pictures and memorabilia. Shelby followed a few steps behind him. She was curious about the house that Dean started his life in. Dean made his way up the oak stairs.

"You know, I fell down these damn stairs so many times. My mom used to always wax them, I hated walking around barefoot when I was little, so I'd always be wearing socks. Drove my mom crazy." Dean smiled and looked back at Shelby. She had a look of wonderment pointed towards him. Dean felt heat rise to his face and continued up the stairs. He pointed to the very end of the hallway.

"That back bedroom was mine. I spent so much time in there trying to learn how to play the guitar. My mom helped a lot too, she bought me this miniature guitar for my fourth birthday. She had a knack for that kinda thing. She could sing too. Not as well as you though." Shelby slapped his arm.

"Don't disrespect your momma Dean Winchester. I'm sure she had the voice of an angel. And you never told me you play the guitar."

"I'm no better at it now than I was at four. " Dean said with a small smile. Shelby grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked back at her. Her eyes were shining so bright in the dimness of the hallway.

"I can understand why you would want an apple pie life now. I mean, if I grew up in a home like this I'd definitely wanna go back." Dean was quiet for a minute before Sam yelled upstairs. Jenny had some strange news about this old house.

The trio came out of the house in a semi calm frenzy. All minds were reeling. The boys were arguing back and forth in the car. Dean's hands were gripping the wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white.

"Boys, we need to treat this like any other case."

"It's not just any other case, Shelby!" Dean closed his eyes when he felt a sharp smack on the back of his head.

"You need to calm down, Dean. Being angry is not going to help us solve this!" Shelby smirked when they were quiet.

"We need to question some of your dad's friends and your old neighbors."

An hour later they found themselves outside of a local psychic's house-turned-voodoo-shop.

"Well, this makes sense now. There was a journal entry about going to Missouri to find answers. I always thought it was the state dad was talking about." Dean said. Shelby looked at Dean for a second. She grabbed his hand reassuringly. He was nervous. She could tell by how hard he was gripping her hand.

"Dean, everything will be okay." Dean tore his eyes from the house they were walking up to and looked at Shelby. He smiled at her, and it actually reached his eyes.

"Only because you're here. I don't know if I could do this without you, Princess." Shelby smiled and squeezed his hand.

Missouri welcomed the boys and Shelby into her home graciously. She remembered the boys, from what John had said about them so many years ago, and seemed very intrigued with Shelby. Missouri told the trio what John had come to see her about so many years ago. That helped a little bit, but didn't really answer any questions they had.

"Well, maybe you could come help us get rid of this evil spirit?" Shelby questioned. Missouri eyed her for a while before answering.

"I'll help. There's no need for that family to be in any danger. Poor things. Though I would like to ask you a few questions." Shelby looked at Dean, then Sam, with a questioning look. They each shrugged, they had no idea what Missouri would question her about. Shelby looked back at the psychic and nodded. Missouri stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her off of the couch and into the hallway. Shelby followed her all the way down and into the last room on the right. It was a library, with floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with old books. Shelby looked around with wide eyes, she had always wanted a library like this. She could spend hours in here.

"Boys, don't go touchin' nothin' ya hear me? I still got that spoon ready." Shelby didn't hear anything from the other room, but she smiled widely just imagining Dean's face at the premature accusation. Missouri lowered her voice and turned back to the girl in front of her.

"Now, where're your parents girl?" Shelby was confused, shouldn't this woman be able to read her mind? She had read what Sam and Dean had been thinking about earlier.

"Dead. Hunter's life, ya know?" Missouri nodded. Shelby looked down at her feet, shuffling a bit. She was uncomfortable under the older woman's scrutiny.

"I have heard of the likes of your kind before. Never have come into contact with one though." Shelby was even more confused. What was this crazy woman talking about.

"Now I can't read your mind, girl. But I can read your facial expressions. I'm not crazy. Didn't your parents ever tell you what you are?"

"My mother died when I was five. My dad and I just kept on with the life after that. He never said anything about me being an alien or anything." Shelby finished with a small laugh about her alien comment. She cracked herself up. She was also trying not to freak out.

"That would explain it. That's somethin' your momma was 'sposed to tell you. You're daddy prob'ly didn't even know 'bout your true heritage." Shelby's ears started getting warm. True heritage? Was she insinuating that her mother cheated on her father?

"My mom would never be disloyal to my dad! They loved each other!" Shelby started to turn away from Missouri. She was done here. She could hear rustling in the other room.

"You don't back down from a challenge do ya? Always so brave in battle. People ever ask how you moved a little too quickly away from an attack? Or how you took down somethin' that woulda been hard for a grown man twice your size to deal with comfortably?" Shelby stopped and thought about what this woman was saying. How would she know that if earlier she said she couldn't read her?

"I can't read supernatural beings sweetheart." Shelby turned, wide-eyed at the woman grasping onto her arm.

"Everything okay in here Shelby?" Dean walked in, hands behind his back. He didn't get a bad vibe from this fortune-teller, but when he heard muffled yelling, he instinctively reached for his gun and readied himself to protect his girl.

"Yeah. She's just pulling some creepy mind reading over here." Shelby pulled out of Missouri's grasp and walked past Dean and into the living room to sit next to Sam. She was freaking out. She hoped the boys couldn't tell.

 **-TOL-**

Later that night, Dean was picking up the mess that the poltergeist had caused. Sam was going through more pictures that they had found in the attic. Shelby was having a discussion with Missouri. She had a little time to adjust to what the woman had said to her earlier that morning.

"So what am I?"

"I don't know if it's my place to say." Shelby could feel her ears heating up again. She took a deep breath.

"Listen, I need to know. In this life, if someone figures out that I'm not human, or have a family member that is something that goes bump in the night, I'm on any sane hunters hit list." She was worried. What if she was something bad? Maybe she had a curse and hadn't triggered it yet? A million things were running through her head.

"Maybe you should do some research on Norse Mythology. It's an interesting subject. Lots of good versus evil." Missouri spoke mysteriously. Shelby felt her heartbeat quicken. She wasn't willing to tell Missouri what she was really feeling about this situation.

"Fine. Thanks." Missouri smiled coyly, ignoring the rudeness coming from the younger girls mouth. She understood why she was angry, but this girl needed to figure it out on her own. She gave her enough clues.

The trio was sitting in the Impala, camped out in front of Jenny's house. Sam had a bad feeling about the state that they left the house in. Something still felt off. Shelby was resting her head on Dean's shoulder in the front seat. Sam was sitting quietly in the back, eyes never leaving the white house.

Shelby was thinking about what Missouri had said that morning, about her being a supernatural being. That was not good. She hunted these things. She couldn't be one. What would Dean say? He had made it clear on many hunts that no matter whether you were good or bad, you were still a monster. And monsters had to die. They hurt people. He still felt the heeby-jeebies around Missouri, but she couldn't physically hurt anyone with her supernatural abilities.

Shelby couldn't imagine what Dean would do or say if she ever told him about what she was, if she ever did find out. She thought about Sam for a second, he was much more open minded about a lot of things, and she had witnessed that open mindedness on some hunts. She was usually on Dean's side, it's a monster, it must be killed. The tables were turned now. If Dean found out, would he slay her? She didn't know if she could do that to Dean.

"Guys!" Sam's yell brought her out of her thoughts and jolted her into battle mode. The trio bolted to the house as fast as possible. The lights wouldn't work when they got inside, so they maneuvered as best they could with what little moonlight came through the blinds. Dean grabbed Jenny and Shelby grabbed Ritchie from Dean's old room. She ran by Sairie's room on her way out. A burning figure was standing in the doorway, blocking Sam and the girl from escaping.

"Hey, dick-wad!" Shelby yelled to grab the things attention. That small, half-second distraction was all Sam needed to feel safe enough to pass by. They made their way downstairs and towards the front door.

"Shelby, here, take Sairie." Sam shoved the girl into Shelby's arms and started back upstairs.

"Sam! What in the hell are you doing?! We need to get out of here!" Shelby yelled at him.

"I have to try and see if I can-" Sam was cut off when something grabbed his ankles and pulled him down. He got dragged backwards and out of Shelby's sight. She gripped tightly to the children in her arms and turned out the door. Dean and Jenny were waiting anxiously outside. Jenny grabbed her kids and hugged them tight while Dean grabbed Shelby's shoulders. He kissed her hard on the forehead before pulling away.

"Where is he?" Shelby grabbed Dean's hand and dragged him back towards the house.

"It's got him. I don't know what it is." Shelby had tears running down her face. If Sam was gone... Dean charged forward and made it to the door first, just as he ran in, the door slammed hard in front of Shelby. She rubbed her face where she hit it.

"Dean!" Dean turned around to the closed door. It wasn't locked but it wouldn't open.

"I can't get it open!"

"Just go, I'll be right behind you. Be careful!" Dean turned around at Shelby's words and ran through the house, looking for his brother.

Shelby turned around and sprinted for the Impala. She threw open the trunk and grabbed her sawed off shotgun filled with salt rounds and an axe. She slammed the trunk closed and ran through the small crowd of people that had gathered after hearing all the commotion.

"Move!" She yelled rudely. She shoved a man twice her size out of her way. He fell roughly to the ground with a shout of pain. God, she hated people. She finally made it back to the door and tried kicking it open. It barely moved. She swung the axe as hard as she could and the door splintered. It only took her a few times to cut open a hole big enough for her to fit through. She ran through the house, shotgun at the ready.

She came into the living room. She gasped at what she saw. Sam was being held up to the wall by some unseen force, Dean was standing next to him, a look of shock on his face. She followed his eyes to a blonde woman in a white nightgown. She was beautiful. Shelby recognized her immediately.

"Mary." She looked at Dean and Sam, both had red-rimmed eyes. They didn't say anything. Mary turned towards Shelby slowly.

"Thank you Shelby. You've saved my boys more times that I can count. You're so very courageous, it's rubbed off on them." Shelby didn't know what to say really. She stayed quiet while Mary turned back to her sons. She explained what had been happening in the house and how she could fix it. She kissed each man on the cheek, wiping both their tears away with her thumbs. She turned back to Shelby.

"You keep them safe, you hear?" Shelby nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." Mary turned away and looked at the ceiling.

"Mary! Just so you know, your boys turned out to be great men. I don't know what I'd do without them." Shelby felt a couple tears running down her face. Before Mary left, for good, she deserved to know what great men her husband had raised. Mary smiled before she screamed to the evil entity in the house. She burst into flames and flew up into the ceiling. Sam fell to the ground. Dean helped him up. Shelby came over to the brothers, who were hugging each other tightly. She wished she had a camera.

Dean looked up at her and opened his arm, asking her to join them. Sam welcomed her warmly to the circle. They cried together. Each for their own reasons. One for not being able to save his mom all those years ago, one for being the reason she's gone, and the other out of happiness, that she had met two boys that had a great mom who gave her life for them, twice.

After clearing everything up in town, the three were on the road again. Sam had fallen asleep in the back seat. Shelby looked over at Dean. He felt her stare.

"Ya know if you take a picture, it'll last longer." Shelby smirked and slapped Dean's arm lightly. She let her hand slide down to his jean-clad thigh.

"Dean, you did really well back there. I'm so proud of you. I don't know what I would have done if I were to ever see my mom again."

"Well, I probably couldn't have held it together if you hadn't have been there." Dean stopped the car, waiting for a red light to change. He looked over at Shelby. He was so confused about everything that was going on. Why would Missouri need to talk to her alone? And what about these weird dreams Sam was having? Shelby leaned into him and kissed him softly. He leaned into her soft lips and reveled in the feeling. All his worries went away. He loved Shelby for that.

They both jumped when the car behind them honked. The light had changed. Dean and Shelby shared a laugh as he pressed the gas pedal. Shelby scooted a little closer and lay her head on Dean's shoulder.

"Everything's going to be okay."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Princess."

 **-TOL-**

 **As you can tell I'm obsessed with HP too. Also TVD, which might show up in later chapters.. Maybe, cause who doesn't love a cameo from our favorite badboy vamp? Anywayyyyyy thanks for reading and please review! They fuel my writing fire! Thanks as always, Gooseygirl**


	9. Just A Dream

_**Chapter 9: Just a Dream**_

 _ **I was counting on forever, now, I'll never know.**_

 _ **I can't even breathe.**_

 _ **It's like I'm looking from a distance,**_

 _ **Standing in the background.**_

 _ **Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now.**_

 _ **This can't be happening to me.**_

 _ **This is just a dream.**_

 _ **\- Carrie Underwood**_

" _SAM!_ " Shelby's gut-wrenching, hoarse scream sent the hair on Sam's neck into the air. He rushed downstairs. What he came to was not good. The rawhead was lying in a puddle of water, destroyed. Shelby had dragged Dean out of the water and was huddled over him, rocking back and forth rapidly. She was crying hysterically.

"Ca- call an ambulance. Now! He got elect- electrocuted." She cried. Sam fumbled for his phone. His fingers shook as he dialed the three numbers he had never hoped to need.

 _This is not happening._ Shelby repeated this mantra in her head the entire ride to the hospital. She was seated in the far corner of the ambulance. Elbows on her knees and head in her hands. She was still crying. She tried to calm down, but watching the EMT's poke and prod Dean kept the waterworks coming. She half regretted not riding with Sam in the Impala. No, she wouldn't, couldn't leave Dean's side right now. Not until she knew he was okay.

Shelby was seated in the uncomfortable hospital chair next to Dean's bed. She had fallen asleep nearly three hours ago. Sam stood by the door watching her snore quietly. The doctor assigned to Dean's care cleared his throat behind Sam. Shelby didn't move. Sam sighed and turned around to face the young doctor. He motioned for Sam to close the door. Following the doctor out into the hallway, Sam wiped his sweaty hands on his dirty blue jeans.

"Mr. Berkowitz, I have some news. I can't say it's what you want to hear." Sam's stomach dropped. He turned away from the doctor and looked through the small sliver of a window into Dean's room. He stared at Shelby while the doctor spoke.

"- is try to make him comfortable." Sam turned around to face the doctor again as he finished. He nodded his head numbly. What was he going to do? How was he going to tell Shelby? He did not want to lose his brother. They hadn't found their dad yet and Dean was the only real family he had left. Shelby and Bobby would always be there for him but it would never be Dean.

"Thanks, Doc." The doctor nodded and walked away. Sam took in a deep breath. He opened the hospital room door and walked up behind Shelby. He tapped her shoulder lightly and grabbed her arm when she jumped awake. She turned towards him with red cheeks and swollen eyes. Sam frowned at the sight. His heart broke. He didn't want to speak these words out loud. Maybe if he didn't say them they wouldn't be true.

"Shelby, listen. When Dean got hit with that charge... He, it-"

"He's gonna die isn't he?" Sam sucked in a big breath. She made what he didn't want to say a little easier.

"The doctor didn't say that. He just said-"

"Yeah, keep him comfortable. Blah, blah, blah. I've seen the movies, read the books." Sam looked at his shoes, he didn't know what to say..

"What am I gonna do, Sammy? I thought he was gonna be here, ya know? Forever. I don't know now. I'll never know what could have been. I mean, I guess I should have expected this. We are hunters. We don't exactly live forever." Shelby turned back towards Dean and grabbed his hand again. Sam still didn't know what to say. He wanted to be there for Shelby. This was his chance. He pulled Shelby out of her seat. She turned into Sam and wept. He hugged her tightly. He didn't want Dean to die. But, Shelby. _No, Sam, stop it._ This isn't how he wanted things to end up. He pressed a kiss into her matted brown hair and ran circles along her spine, trying to comfort her.

"Hey, now. Just cause I'm dyin' don't mean you get to steal my girl. At least wait till I'm six foot under." Shelby yanked herself out of Sam's arms and flung herself onto Dean, hugging him tightly and peppering kisses all over his pale face. Dean kissed her back weakly.

"Baby, you're not going to die. You'll be fine. You just need to rest for a week or so."

"Don't sugar-coat it Princess. I can feel it. I can tell by my little brothers face over there. I'm not gonna come outta this alive." He lifted his hand and grabbed Shelby's cheek. She leaned into his touch.

"I love you, Shelby." Shelby's heart clenched. No nicknames this time.

"I love you too, Dean." They smiled at each other. Dean let his hand fall back to his side and closed his eyes. He was so tired. Shelby ran her hand softly over his features. He was so pale. He had dark circles under his eyes and it looked like his cheek bones stuck out a mile from his skull. She turned her head up to Sam, her eyes welling up with tears again.

"Shelby, maybe we should let Dean rest. We need to head back to the motel and clean stuff up from the hunt." Shelby nodded and kissed Dean one more time before standing up and following Sam out of the pale hospital room.

"Sam, we can't give up on him. There has to be _something_ out there that can fix him. I mean, come on, look at the world we live in!" Sam clenched his jaw and shuffled his feet a bit. Shelby paced back and forth a few steps before clearing her face of the tears. When she removed her hands, a look of determination graced her features.

"I'm calling Bobby. You need to call your father."

"Shelby,-"

"Now Sam. I'll drive." Shelby grabbed the keys to the Impala out of Sam's coat pocket and headed down the hallway, following the EXIT signs. She stopped a nurse and asked her to put on 'The Three Stooges' for when Dean woke up. The woman asked if Shelby wanted to leave a message for him, she declined. The television show would be enough. She informed the nurse they'd be back later and didn't wait for Sam to follow. A few minutes later he clambered into the car and buckled his seat-belt.

"Sam, we are going to fix this. Okay? He is not going to die. I will stop at nothing to save him, even if it means-"

"Shelby, don't. You're not going to even go there. I won't let you." Shelby steeled herself and looked ahead at the hospital entrance.

"Then you need to get your shit together and help me figure this out."

 **-TOL-**

"Thanks Bobby. I'll let you know how it goes." Shelby hung up the phone. It was late. They still hadn't gone back to the hospital to check up on Dean. Shelby was scared. She didn't want to face him. If she didn't see him, he was just off on a hunt with John. Shelby had to stay back with Sam to help him with homework. Yeah, let's go with that for a while.

Sam walked out of the bathroom, still in the clothes he was in two days ago. Shelby looked down at her own wardrobe. She hadn't changed in two days either. Not since, _Stop it, Shelby. Now!_

"My dad didn't answer." No answer, _Dean and him must have run into some trouble_. No biggie, they could handle it. She was trying so hard to think back to their high school years. It wasn't working. She looked back down at her dirty yellow tank top and dark blue jean shorts. Black gunk was splattered all over it and her favorite boots had a tear in the leather at the top. The rawhead had thrown her into the wall, a huge splinter tore into her leg and boot. The nurses had tended to the gash after they got Dean settled.

"I need to shower. I smell like I live in a sewer." Sam smiled slightly at her joke. She was just like his brother. Always making jokes at the most inappropriate times.

"Did Bobby have anything?" Shelby was pulling a clean pair of pants out of her duffel. She shuffled over to Dean's bag and pulled out a gray three-quarter length shirt out of it. She held onto it tightly.

"Yeah, actually. He caught wind of some kind of 'Faith Healer' in Nebraska. Some Reverend out there curing blindness and helping the crippled walk. Bobby wasn't too sure about him but the eye-witness accounts speak for themselves." Shelby walked over to the vanity mirror on the other side of the room and removed her stud earrings and other jewelry. She kept twirling her garnet heart ring over and over again.

"Dean isn't one for religion, so we're gonna have to keep this under wraps till we pull up. I don't know if this guy is the real deal or not, but if there's a God, this guy is in good with him. And I'm praying he can help Dean." Shelby grabbed a towel from the tiny closet and headed for the bathroom. Sam sat down at the kitchenette counter. He did believe in God, he knew Shelby did. She used to talk to him all the time about it. Her dad and mom didn't believe. She knew there had to be someone out there. Sam agreed with her. He tried to pray everyday. Dean used to make fun of him for it. Shelby nipped that joke in the bud real quick. Dean stopped the teasing when Shelby explained her beliefs to him, but he still never agreed with Shelby and Sam's point of view on things.

 **-TOL-**

Shelby took her time in the shower. She wanted to prepare herself for checking Dean out of the hospital and driving seven hours to Nebraska to put the life of the man she loves into God's hands. She was scared. She trusted herself to keep Dean safe, to keep her whole family safe. _Yeah, like that always worked out for the better._ She finished rinsing her hair and turned the water off. Shelby stuck her hand out from behind the curtain. Instead of her hand landing on a towel, it smacked into a bare chest. Shelby pulled back and screamed. She could hear Dean's chuckle from behind the curtain.

"Calm down Princess. I was just trying to catch you before you finished." Dean pulled the flower-patterned pink curtain back to reveal a dripping Shelby. She had her arms crossed over her chest. Dean leaned in a bit and grabbed her wet arm. He pulled her out of the tub. She slipped on the wet tile and down they went. Shelby landed on top of Dean hard. She looked down at him. He was clad only in his snug-fitted boxers and smug smile. Shelby glared at him.

"Too late for that Hot-Shot. How did you get out of the hospital?" Shelby questioned. She sat up and crossed her arms over her chest again. She was not happy with Dean. His smirk grew as he pulled her arms apart, revealing her gracious chest to Dean's ever-paling green eyes.

"Doesn't matter." Shelby rolled her eyes at the man underneath her. How was she ever going to get him under control? Dean let go of her arms and rested his hands on her wet hips. Eyes ogling her naked body.

"Dean, we don't have time for this."

"We have just enough time, baby."

"You're not strong enough." Shelby didn't want to overexert Dean. Who knew how long his heart would really last? Could it handle waiting to see this Faith Healer? Would it give out when he found out what they were dragging him to Nebraska for?

"I'm as strong as I need to be." Dean seemingly ended that conversation when he reached up and latched onto Shelby's left nipple with his soft lips. She groaned quietly as one free hand cupped her right breast and the other slid back to her ass. What was she thinking about again? Why was this a bad thing? Dean's hot tongue glided softly over her breast and Shelby groaned again. Dean gripped hard on her ass and pulled her roughly against his now wet boxers. Shelby could feel his erection pulling against the blue fabric. Dean and Shelby's small moans echoed throughout the small bathroom. After Shelby ground her hips against Dean's a few more times, Dean trailed his hand from her ass to her clit. Shelby sucked in a deep breath when Dean started to rub softly. He knew exactly where all her buttons were. She hated it. Weren't they supposed to be doing something else?

"GUYS. I can hear you. Shelby, uh, if we want to make that appointment tomorrow, we need to leave like ten minutes ago." At Sam's voice, Dean's head popped up to Shelby's eye level.

"What appointment?" Dean asked, not stopping his other movements. Shelby opened her eyes and Dean stared at her dark, lust-filled green eyes for a moment. He moved a finger over her slick folds to grab her attention. She gasped.

"Wha- what appointment? Oh, yeah. Um. There's a guy in uh, Nebraska. He's a specialist in uh, what we need." Dean stopped what he was doing. _She wasn't giving up, was she?_ _Why couldn't she just accept this?_ Shelby seemed to realize Dean had stopped. She hated when he distracted her. He knew exactly what he was doing. She stood up quickly and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt dirty. How could she be enjoying that while Dean was underneath her dying? She felt sick. Dean used the bathtub side to stand up. He handed Shelby a pink towel. She wrapped it tightly around herself.

"Yeah, okay Sam. We'll be ready in a few." Shelby answered. Dean could hear the tears in her voice. He turned her around to face him. Her tan skin was still wet from the shower. She had started shivering. Or was it just from her starting to cry? Dean frowned towards her. Shelby slammed herself into Dean and hugged him tightly. He hugged back as tightly as he could. They could both tell it wasn't as strong as he should have been able to.

"I need you, Dean."

"You almost had me down there. Till SOMEONE interrupted!" Dean finished that sentence loudly to make sure Sam had heard it. Shelby shook her head into Dean's chest.

"I need you strong Dean. I need you to be here for me, and Sam. We need you healthy and able to stay with us. I am not okay with this. You might be, but I'm not standing in the background while doctors tell me you're not going to come out of this alive. It's not gonna happen." Dean sighed and shoved his pale face into Shelby's wet, almost black hair.

"I know baby." He whispered. He didn't want to go out like this. He expected to die at the hands of a monster, or at the end of gun barrel. He really wanted to go out at ninety-five in bed, with Shelby by his side. Who was he kidding? He was a hunter. He hugged her tighter. She wasn't giving up on him. Would he give up on her if the roles were switched? _No._ He would never give up on her.

Dean closed his eyes tightly. He had barely lived his life with Shelby. He knew her views on their lifestyle. She never thought they'd get out. Maybe this would be a wake up call for her? Maybe after they saw this specialist and got him fixed, she would come around. He wanted that apple-pie life with her. Dean pictured Shelby in a white gown, walking down the aisle. He pictured her looking up at him with his ring on her finger and a slight bump growing underneath her shirt. He saw her with a baby on her hip and another on the way. Her slapping him in the shoulder when he tried to teach their kid a new curse word, then laughing with him when it worked. Dean shook his head. There was so much more he wanted for Shelby, so much more that she deserved. He couldn't give that to her if he was dead.

"I love you Shelby. I don't want to leave you alone. Especially with my baby brother here to save you after I keel over." He could feel Shelby laugh a little against his bare chest. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"Always the joker. Somehow I still love you. Possibly more and more every day." Dean smiled down at Shelby and kissed her wet lips softly. He would do this, for his girl.

 **-TOL-**

Shelby took a deep breath as she pulled the Impala into the makeshift parking lot. Dean had fallen asleep a few hours ago. Sam put his hand on Shelby's thigh and squeezed tightly. She looked over to him with tear-filled eyes. This was it. If this guy didn't help them, then she was headed down a road that Sam didn't want her to go down. Dean would never find out, not till ten years later, after she was dead. She would make Sam swear it.

"It's gonna be okay." Shelby smiled softly and nodded her head. She grabbed her favorite red beanie and tugged it on. She hadn't had time to brush her hair out yet. She checked the mirror and smoothed down Dean's long-sleeved shirt she had put on after her shower that morning.

"Yeah. I hope so Sammy." Shelby twirled her garnet heart ring around on her finger for a second before clearing her throat and turning to the back seat to wake Dean up.

"Faith Healer?!" Dean scoffed. Shelby smacked him on the arm, hard. She knew what his reaction would be when they pulled up. She rolled her eyes while she listened to the brothers go back and forth. There were many people here, young and old. Some she could tell were sick, others looked like they could run a marathon. Shelby stopped outside of the tent entrance. The boys were still bickering back and forth. Dean was going on about all the things they knew to be real. She steeled herself. She had Faith. She believed there was a God out there. But what she heard Dean saying was true. They had never seen any Godly act. Out of all the hunts they had... Shelby frowned. Was she doing the right thing? Was dragging Dean here a good idea? Should she just let him live out his last weeks in peace? Be by his side and make him as happy as she could? Or should she just leave him here while she went out and sold her soul? Would he know what she did? Even if she made Sam swear not to tell?

"Having doubts?" A soft female voice drifted up towards Shelby. She looked down slightly at a pretty blonde woman standing under a black umbrella.

"I don't know. Maybe? I didn't grow up in a Faith-based family. I always had to believe in Him alone. Now I really need Him to save someone I love and I don't know if I have enough Faith for the both of us." The woman smiled kindly up at Shelby.

"Well, maybe you do. God does work in mysterious ways." Shelby smiled. She liked this woman. The brunette held her hand out to the blonde and introduced herself.

"Shelby. These blubbering idiots behind me are Sam and Dean." The boys stopped arguing when they heard Shelby's voice over their own. The slightly older woman shook Shelby's hand lightly.

"Layla. Nice to meet you. Here, let me show you folks in. My mother saved a row in front." Layla turned and led the trio into the dirty white tent. Shelby looked at Layla's heels. How was that woman walking so graciously in the muddy grass? She had belted, short cowgirl boots on and was having trouble sinking in the mud. Couldn't they have this shindig in a church? Dean shook Shelby from her trivial thoughts.

"I'm not sitting in front."

"Yes you are, Dean. I know you don't Believe, but I need you to do this. Please. For me." She turned around with tears in her eyes. Dean shut his mouth and swallowed any retort he had been thinking of. Sam slid in next to Layla and her mother while Shelby left the aisle seat to Dean. He rolled his eyes but said nothing.

The Reverend started his sermon. Dean was looking around at all the other people. Some were in wheelchairs and others had no hair. One young girl was breathing from an oxygen tank. Out of all these people, would this guy actually choose him? With all the things he had done, did he really deserve to be saved? He turned his attention back to the Reverend in time to scoff at something he said. After a few back and forth quips and a hard shove from Shelby, Dean was making his way up to the plywood stage.

The Reverend was talking next to Dean. Sam looked around the makeshift Church. On the crude stage, behind Dean, was a familiar cross with a circle around it. He had seen that same symbol somewhere before. He couldn't quite remember where. He nudged Shelby softly. She ignored him, the girl was clutching Dean's leather jacket in her tan hands and hanging onto every word the Reverend said. Sam nudged her again, slightly harder this time, and gained her attention. Shelby looked sharply at the youngest brother.

"What?" She hissed quietly.

"Does that cross look familiar to you?" Sam nodded his head to the strange cross. Shelby looked quickly before shaking her head.

"No. Why?"

"I've just seen it somewhere before. I can't remember what it means. It's not in the Bible." Shelby looked at Sam. She shook her head lightly.

"It can be from Satan's diary and I wouldn't care right now honestly." Shelby whispered to the man. Sam frowned. She went back to ignoring him and looked back at Dean on the stage. In the short time she had been distracted, Dean went from standing shakily to lying on the stage. Shelby gasped and ran up to him. The Reverend had removed his hand from Dean's head and stood up, smiling. Dean looked up at the blind man for a second before he felt Shelby's clammy hands pulling his head in towards her chest. He felt her hot tears fall on his face.

"Baby, are you okay? Dean. Hey look at me. Are you okay?" Shelby's crying voice brought him back to reality. He could have swore he saw-

"Dean!"

"What? Yeah." He stilled for a moment. He felt his strength coming back. It was easier for him to breath in deeply. He didn't feel so cold. He looked Shelby in the eyes. He could see by her reaction that his skin had probably returned back to its normal color.

"Yeah, Shelby. I feel fine. I feel, great actually." Shelby cried louder. She didn't care if a hundred people saw her break down on a stage at a Tent Revival. Her Dean was okay. Dean couldn't help but shake the feeling something was wrong. That 'Godly' healing didn't feel very holy at all. Looking over at Sam's face he could tell his brother had the same feeling. He looked up to Shelby. His heart felt like it was failing all over again at her smile. She leaned down and kissed him tenderly. He returned it. He would try to let this go for her.

 **-TOL-**

 **What'd you think? I think I legit cried when this episode first aired. No ragrets. Anyway, thanks for reading, now please review so I know I'm doing okay! Thanks lovelies. Gooseygirl**


	10. Sunday Morning

**_Chapter Ten: Sunday Morning_**

 ** _Sunday morning, rain is falling._**

 ** _Steal some covers, share some skin._**

 ** _Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable._**

 ** _You twist to fit the mold that I am in._**

 ** _But things just get so crazy, living life gets hard to do,_**

 ** _And I would gladly hit the road, get up and go if I knew_**

 ** _That someday it would lead me back to you._**

 ** _-Maroon 5_**

Thunder rumbled softly in the distance. Two naked bodies were molded together under white sheets in a king sized bed in a small town Bed and Breakfast.

"Mmmm. You can keep doin' that if you want." Shelby opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow to get a better view of Dean. He turned his head up to her, eyes still closed. He had a lazy smile on his sleepy face. She had been tracing her fingernails over his bare shoulder. Dean moaned slightly again when she stopped her motions. He rolled over onto his back and put his arms behind his neck to prop his head up better. His eyes were open now and he was staring at Shelby.

She wasn't looking at his face, but staring out into nothing, she had started tracing her fingers around in different patterns along his chest after he switched positions. She was thinking about what Missouri had said to her a while back. She had been so busy with hunts lately, then Dean's accident, she hadn't had time for much research. Dean's shiver brought her out of her trance and she smirked. Her soft hand made it's way tantalizingly slow down Dean's toned chest and six pack. She shifted her weight a little in the bed to scoot down closer to the light sheet covering the lower half of Dean's body. Her hand burrowed under the fabric and grabbed onto Dean's now obvious erection. He hissed loudly at the contact. Shelby giggled lightly and threw the covers off of him completely.

"Brr. Too cold." Dean complained light-heartedly. Shelby's giggled faded out and she turned her dark green eyes to him.

"Give me a second and I'll warm you up baby." She slowly moved her hand up and down over Dean's throbbing manhood. After a few strokes, she licked his tip slowly, enjoying the deep moans coming from the man below her. Dean kept his eyes on the beautiful woman above him. He would never get tired of waking up like this. After a few minutes of soft licking she let her mouth completely cover him.

Dean couldn't help the loud moan that escaped his lips or the jerk of his hand to grasp a handful of Shelby's hair. She uncovered him and gently helped Dean's hand remove itself from her knotted hair. Dean's breath hitched again when Shelby slowly moved her naked body to straddle his. She closed her eyes slowly and let her head roll back when she lowered herself over Dean. The lovers slowly started grinding against each other, trying to get as close as possible.

Shelby grunted loudly when Dean grabbed her hips hard and roughly brought her down onto him. She smirked as she let him take control, he was fully awake now. Shelby smiled and giggled slightly as Dean pulled her off of him and flipped her over onto her hands and knees. He smacked her ass hard and grabbed her hips again as he slammed into her over and over. Shelby was finding it harder and harder to breathe. Dean slowed his movements down a bit, he wasn't going to be able to last much longer, thanks to Shelby's little show earlier. He let go of one side of her hip and brought his hand in contact with her clit, rubbing it back and forth in a hard, steady rhythm that accompanied his already thrusting pace. Shelby didn't know how much longer she could last. Damn him. He knew exactly what to do in order to make her come first. She could never win with him! Realizing this wasn't really a bad thing, she let herself go. Dean could feel Shelby's stomach muscles tensing next to his arm as he kept up both his motions.

"Oh, God. Dean. Do. Not. Stop." Shelby was having a hard time spitting a sentence out in between Dean's thrusting and rubbing. She screamed loudly into the bed as the tension that had been building in her stomach released all over Dean. He removed his hand and grabbed her waist again, thrusting hard and deep into Shelby as she shook through her orgasm. Dean finished as Shelby was coming down from her high, but when she felt him finish, it was like her insides were on fire all over again. Dean collapsed next to Shelby on the white sheets. They were both sweaty and panting. He went to tickle her side and Shelby flung herself to the other side of the bed.

"Don't you dare!" Dean knew she was always extra ticklish after sex. He loved to tease her. Mostly because it usually ended in more sex. Unfortunately that wasn't the case today. Sam picked that moment to barge into their room, face buried in his laptop. Shelby screamed and scrambled to cover herself up. That caught Sam's attention and he stared a little too long for Dean's liking. After Shelby had herself covered under the sheets, Sam's eyes wandered over to Dean, who hadn't bothered covering himself up. Sam covered his eyes quickly and turned around.

"Sorry. I- uh, wanted to show you guys something real quick about this Faith Healer." He waited for an answer. After a few seconds it came,

"Okay Sam. We'll meet you in your room in ten minutes. Thanks." Shelby replied softly. Dean clenched his jaw hard in Sam's direction, still laying out in all his glory, trying his damnedest to make his little brother as uncomfortable as possible. Sam slammed the door shut behind him. Dean rolled his eyes and turned back to Shelby, who had laid back down. She didn't want to get out of bed. She wanted Dean to herself today. He was alive, and healthy. She didn't care how it happened. Should she feel bad about that? Probably. Did she? _No_. She was not going to let herself get all worked up about something she couldn't control. Dean had been picked. Not that sick girl breathing from an oxygen tank, or that young man who was in a wheelchair. No. Dean got saved and that's all she was focusing on.

"Come on babe, we better go see what he found. Maybe this guy isn't God's BFF after all." Shelby sighed. Couldn't he just leave well enough alone? Be happy he was all better? No, because it was Dean.

"Dean, can't you just accept the fact that he saved your life and move on?" Dean got out of bed abruptly. He moved around the room, picking up his clothes that were scattered on the bedroom floor. Shelby stayed where she was. Dean had seen something when that guy 'healed' him. He didn't know what, but it sure as Hell wasn't holy. He hadn't told Shelby anything. He didn't want to worry her. Sam knew, Dean had to say something to someone. They had agreed that Sam would look into it, if he didn't find anything, Dean would leave it alone and walk away. That wasn't the case. Why was life so hard? He just wanted to lay in bed with his girl and ride out this storm. But he couldn't. Something was up.

"No. Shelby, listen. I didn't want to worry you anymore than you had been... But I saw something when that Roy guy healed me. Something, supernatural. I know you believe in God and all that shit, but please, believe in me now. That guy is not handing out 'get-out-of-jail-free cards' from God." Shelby had tears welling up in her eyes. Dean pulled a pair of blue jeans on. He looked around more for a clean shirt.

"Dean, I am begging you. Please, don't do this. It's only going to cause you pain. Why can't you just be happy with how things are?!" Shelby was so angry. How could she get Dean to see things in a different light?

"Shelby, if something freaky is going on here, we need to fix it. Whether I get taken down in the process or not." Was Shelby really hearing this right now? How could he? Why couldn't he just be a little selfish every now and then? They spent enough time saving everyone else. If the roles were switched, wouldn't he do the same thing? She knew the answer. She also knew the answer if she were in Dean's shoes. She couldn't stand by while something fishy was going on. Damn it. But the roles weren't switched. It is what it is. But she couldn't give up without a fight. Maybe the whole truth would make him understand how serious this situation could have been…

"If this guy hadn't have healed you, I was going to make a deal, Dean. I would have sat my ass down at a crossroads and sold my soul for ten more years with you. I didn't even have to think twice about it. Now why can't you just fucking leave it alone? I don't want to even chance you getting taken away from me again! " Dean stopped pulling his shirt on. He just kind of stood there with one arm and his head through the holes. He blinked a few times. How could she say that? How did he respond to that? He pulled his other arm through the hole and grabbed his boots.

"I'll be in Sam's room." Dean slammed the door behind him. He carried his boots down the hall and swung Sam's door open wide before throwing his boots by the edge of the bed. Sam was seated at the small desk on the far side of the room. Dean paced back and forth in front of him for a few minutes. Sam could tell his brother was mad.

"How could you let her do that Sam?" Sam was confused for a second until Dean turned towards him with tears threatening to fall.

"Dean, I-"

"You have to protect her. If I go down, I'm counting on you to keep her up. You don't get to decide to let her sell her soul for me. Not for ten more years. Hell no." Dean stopped pacing and poked Sam in the chest.

"You promise me Sammy. If I can't be saved, you need to be there for her and keep her from going over the edge. You promise?" His brother, who threatened multiple times to castrate him if he touched this girl, was begging him to protect her if he couldn't be saved. Sam opened and closed his mouth a few times before nodding his head.

"I need to hear you say it!" Dean grabbed Sam shirt and pulled him out of the chair.

"Yes, Dean. I promise. I promise!" Dean shoved Sam away and sat down on the edge of the bed. Sam smoothed his shirt down and fell back into the soft chair. He cleared his throat, but waited for Dean to start talking.

"What's going on with this guy?" Dean questioned.

"Something dark. I was headed to the morgue to check out another patient from yesterday. Wanna come?" Dean nodded.

"Yeah, I gotta grab the keys and my jacket. Meet you at the car." Sam nodded and Dean pulled his boots on. He walked down the hallway back to his and Shelby's room. When he entered he heard the shower running. He wanted so badly to go in there and apologize for yelling at her. Wouldn't he do the same for her? Yes. But Shelby deserved to live so much more than Dean did. He quickly grabbed his keys and jacket and closed the door as quietly as he could.

 **-TOL-**

"A reaper? As in an Angel of Death?" Shelby raised an angry eyebrow to the brothers. She was still pissed at Dean for delving deeper into this situation. She really wanted nothing to do with it. It didn't seem like Dean was in any more danger than he would be on a normal hunt, but she didn't want to chance the reaper-wielding man and his wife finding out Dean was trying to stop their little facade.

"Let's just call Bobby and get another hunter on the case. They already know who we are. If we go back in there, they'll know something's up. Especially since you dumbasses thought it'd be smart to go all FBI questions on them!" She was not okay with this. Not at all. Dean stopped his pacing and looked over at his girlfriend.

"Shelby, this is my fault. This guy is playing God and killing innocent people! Some other guy died so I could live! How is this another hunter's problem to fix?"

"I'm not going to help you get killed! They're not dumb, Dean! Hell they're using fucking black magic and have a pet reaper! They WILL figure you out!" Shelby stood up and threw her arms into the air, like it would help her make her point to the brothers. Sam sat quietly in the background while the couple argued loudly. He agreed partly with both of them. Shelby was right, this wasn't Dean's fault, but they did need to stop this before it went any further. He was guiltily happy that they figured all this out after his brother was healed.

"Well then don't! We'll do this on our own!" Shelby scoffed and sat down on the bed. She turned on the lamp and grabbed a random book from the bedside table.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked. Shelby opened the book to a random spot. Without looking up, she answered,

"Not helping you fix this. It's your fault anyway right? It's your fault that this couple is playing God? They decided 'Hmmm, let's tether a reaper to our wrists and play God so we can meet the dreamy Dean Winchester! And then, when he tries to gank us, we'll kill him! Man he sure is gonna wish he listened to his smart, beautiful better-hunter-than-him girlfriend.'" Shelby turned the page of the book angrily without really reading the words. Dean grabbed Sam's arm and stormed out the door. They were perfectly capable of fixing this without her. He would show her.

 **-TOL-**

Turned out, they were _almost_ capable of fixing the problem at hand by themselves. Not exactly how Dean or Sam had wanted it. More innocent lives had been lost, and some hadn't been saved. Shelby was still pissed off royally at Dean. He had almost died, just like she said he would. He was counting his lucky stars Shelby came barreling down on that awful woman like she had. Poor Sam got himself locked in the cellar and Shelby had found them all just in time.

After getting back to the B & B, Shelby stormed up the stairs and into their room, angrily grabbing a change of clothes. Dean kept his eyes down as she tore off her bloody outfit and pulled on some black leggings and a loose, off-the-shoulder red sweater. She left her mom's rose earrings and silver cross on.

"Shelby, baby. Listen, I'm ah-"

"I know. It's okay. Can you just hold me?" Dean stepped into the room fully and sat next to Shelby on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. She cried into his jacket.

"Dean Winchester, I am so fucking mad at you."

"I know, I shouldn't have gone in there like that. That bitch totally knew what was up"

"No! I'm mad at you because you didn't think about your own family first. Sam and I. We need you. We need you to be selfish just a little bit every once in a while. You mean something to us. I mean, I know the life of a hunter isn't exactly short but... I don't know. I just... Want to go down this short, dead end road with you, all the way."

"Shelby, you know that if the roles were switched you would have done the same thing." Shelby pulled away from Dean's strong hold.

"Yeah, you're right, but the roles weren't switched. So that doesn't work. Listen, I don't want to argue about this anymore. I just want to forget it ever happened. Can we do that?" Dean smiled down at Shelby and kissed her forehead.

"Yes, Princess. I would happily oblige to that request." Dean said into Shelby's tan forehead.

"I just want to be with you, now. In this moment, forever. Can we do that?"

"Until my little brother comes barging in. I swear he could be a professional cock-blocker." Shelby snorted out a laugh that made Dean chuckle. She got up off of the bed and went over to her leather book bag. She pulled out a black moleskin journal. Dean recognized it, Sam had gotten it for Shelby for her sixteenth birthday. She wrote all of her songs down in it, and every once in a while she would show Dean her drawings. She was very talented. She had this way of bringing her subjects to life.

She had drawn a picture of Sam and Dean a few years back. They were sitting around a campfire, with beers in their hands and matching smiles on their faces. The smiles looked so real, he didn't remember himself ever feeling that happy. Maybe that's what Shelby saw... Dean remembered that night. That was right before Sam had left for college. Shelby cleared her throat and opened the journal.

"I wrote a little something, while you guys were out. I wanted to know if you wanna hear it?" She shyly pulled a piece of hair out of her face and put it behind her ear.

"Of course baby. I always love hearing your songs." Dean smiled and walked over to his girlfriend. He planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Good, follow me." Dean followed Shelby out of their bedroom and down the hall, past Sam's room. Dean smirked. So this song was only for him. Good. He didn't want to admit it, but he got jealous when Shelby shared any of her drawings or songs with Sam. Call him petty. He didn't care... Much. Shelby led Dean downstairs into the main foyer of the Bed and Breakfast. There was an old wooden Beethoven sitting in the far corner. She set her journal down on the bench next to her.

"I kind of messed around with it earlier, but that's it. So don't laugh if I miss a few chords!" Shelby glared playfully at Dean, who was sitting down on the old couch a few feet from her.

"Go ahead, baby." Dean relaxed into the musty couch and waited for Shelby to start. She ran her fingers over the keys a few times before starting a soft rhythm. Dean was impressed. If she had just started this earlier... Damn, why was she stuck in this life? She should be on a full-ride to Juilliard. Dean's morbid thoughts stopped when he heard her start to sing.

 _Sunday morning, rain is fallin'._

 _Steal some covers, share some skin._

 _Clouds are shroudin' us in moments unforgettable._

 _You twist to fit the mold that I am in._

 _But things just get so crazy, livin' life gets hard to do._

 _And I would gladly hit the road, get up and go if I knew_

 _That someday it would lead me back to you._

 _That someday it would lead me back to you._

 _That may be all I need._

 _In darkness, he is all I see._

 _Come and rest your bones with me._

 _Driving slow on Sunday morning,_

 _And I never want to leave._

 _Fingers trace your every outline, oh yeah yeah yeah._

 _Paint a picture with my hands._

 _Back and forth we sway like branches in a storm._

 _Change the weather, still together when it ends._

Dean let his eyes close and listened to the lyrics. No matter what, he would be by her side. No matter the storm, he vowed, silently to himself in that small, musty, old Bed and Breakfast, that he would always be there to save his girl. He would never leave her. Never abandon her. Even in his darkest of times, Shelby had been the light that rescued him. He remembered her recent tattoo. He understood it now. Shelby's pace and tone picked back up. Dean opened his eyes. Sam had found his way downstairs and was leaning against the dark oak door frame. Some other guests had gathered throughout the room as well. Old house, thin walls. Dean ignored everyone else. This song was for him. He watched the way her calloused hands glided over the piano like they'd been born there.

 _That may be all I need._

 _In darkness, he is all I see._

 _Come and rest your bones with me._

 _Driving slow on Sunday morning,_

 _And I never want to leave._

 _But things just get so crazy, livin' life gets hard to do._

 _Sunday morning, rain is fallin' and I'm callin' out to you._

 _Singin', someday it'll bring me back to you._

 _Find a way to bring myself back home to you._

 _That may be all I need._

 _In darkness, he is all I see._

 _Come and rest your bones with me._

 _Driving slow on Sunday morning,_

 _Driving slow._

Loud clapping resounded through the small room. Shelby jumped and turned around in surprise at the group that had formed. She blushed brightly and bowed a little. Dean stood up and offered a hand to Shelby. She gladly took it after grabbing her journal from the piano. The small group seemed to evaporate after Dean and Shelby huddled to themselves, everyone finally noticing it wasn't supposed to be a public affair. Sam walked up to the couple cautiously.

"I'll uh, check us out and start loading the car up." Shelby and Dean nodded to him. Shelby looked up to Dean. He rubbed his hands up and down her back soothingly.

"Soooo, what'd you think?" Shelby smile shyly up to her boyfriend. Dean kissed her.

"I loved it baby." More smiling and butterflies. Dean pulled her down onto his lap. His face got serious. Her smiling face pulled down into a frown.

"What?"

"I know we said we would drop this whole thing, but I just want to make one thing clear." Dean's face turned hard, his jaw clenched and his voice got very low and scratchy. Shelby pulled back, slightly afraid.

"If things ever go downhill and it's not lookin' like I'm gonna come out of it, then I want you and Sammy to move on. I would _never_ forgive you if you sold your soul for me. Do you understand, Shelby?" Shelby gulped. Dean was not fooling around. She nodded softly.

"Okay."

"Okay? That's it? No argument?" Shelby nodded again. She was ashamed of what she had admitted to Dean earlier.

"Good, and I don't want you to keep secrets like that from me. Okay? I don't keep stuff like that from you." Shelby was feeling guiltier by the second. Her mind reeled back to what Missouri had said a while back. She wasn't exactly lying to Dean about any of it. She planned on telling him, just not until she knew all the facts.

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too baby."

 **-TOL-**

 **What you think? One of my favorite songs ever! Please review for my writing fire! Thanks guys! Gooseygirl**


	11. Secrets

_**Chapter 11: Secrets**_

 _ **Oh, got no reason, got no shame.**_

 _ **Got no family I can blame.**_

 _ **Just don't let me disappear,**_

 _ **I'ma tell you everything.**_

 _ **-One Republic**_

Shelby and Dean picked at their food in the 80's themed diner Sam had picked for breakfast. They were making faces at Sam while he talked behind his laptop screen. It had been a few weeks since they'd had a hunt and while Shelby and Dean seemed perfectly fine with the little vacation they had been on, Sam was itching for a hunt. It was six o'clock in the morning on a Sunday. The couple had been out at the local bar the night before. Sam had to come pick them up and take them back to the hotel.

"I'm just saying, we should at least check it out and see if it's our kinda thing." Sam shut his laptop in annoyance. He rolled his eyes when he met Dean and Shelby's contorted faces. Shelby put her fork down and rubbed her face.

"Fine. But you have to drive us there. I need sleep." Sam's face lit up and he grabbed his laptop and zoomed out the door. Shelby ate the last bite of her waffle and threw some cash down on the table. Dean hadn't said a word since they entered the diner. He still had his sunglasses on. Shelby turned towards him and nudged him.

"Come on grumpy gus, let's humor your brother for a couple of days." Dean grumbled at her nickname for him but got up and followed her out the diner doors. He had been enjoying his vacation with Shelby more than she probably was with him; he had been wondering when she would push him back into a hunt. Well, he tried to pull her out of it. No such luck.

Later that night, Shelby, Sam, and Dean were having a few beers in a musty pub. Shelby was kicking Sam's ass at darts, while Dean hustled some local rednecks at a game of pool. Sam had lost for the last time. He was tired, they hadn't really found anything that made this case their type of thing and it annoyed him. He really wanted a monster to hunt.

"Alright, we should probably head out. I saw a hotel a few miles back off the highway. I'll pick up our tab." Shelby threw one last dart and nodded her head. She walked over to Dean while Sam paid their bill. A few cat calls were heard as she slid up behind her slightly drunk boyfriend. He threw a few dirty looks to the guys across the pool table from him before turning to Shelby. He placed a sloppy kiss on her lips before turning back to his game.

"Sam's picking up the bill. You almost done?" Shelby honestly was getting tired too. As hard as it was to admit it, she was itching just as bad as Sam was for a hunt. She had noticed Dean having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. He did well in front of everyone else, but after hours, once the lights were out and he was cuddled in close to Shelby, his breath would hitch a little. He wouldn't say anything, but Shelby knew how he was feeling. It had taken him a bit after the ordeal, but coming that close to death had messed with his head. He had been treading carefully ever since. It was kind of bugging Shelby. She needed him back into hunting mode.

"Yeah. Give me a few minutes and I'll meet you guys out at the car." Dean kissed Shelby again. She smiled and headed out the back door. She saw Sam leaning against the Impala. He smiled at Shelby. She returned it with a small smile.

"Dean finishing up his game?"

"Yeah. Listen Sam. I really want this case to work out. Dean needs this. I'm ready to get back into the swing of things just as much as you are but, Dean; He's really shaken up about what happened. He's trying to play tough guy but I can see right through it." Sam nodded his head towards the girl. He had noticed Dean seemed a little off lately but he turned the other cheek. He had bigger things to worry about. Like why he was having visions and all the other kids he had been finding out about recently with same pasts as him.

"Sam, I have something to tell you and I- I need you to keep quiet about it until I know all the facts. I'm scared to tell Dean." Was she pregnant? Sam looked down at her with a slightly concerned face. Shelby ran her fingers through her long brown hair. He watched and waited as she gave herself the courage to tell him whatever was eating at her.

"Remember when we went to your old house and met with that Missouri woman?" Sam nodded.

"Well she said some things to me that have been bothering me and I need your help to figure it out." Shelby hugged herself with her own arms. Sam wanted to move in closer but before he could a dark figure came up behind Shelby with some sort of metal bar in it's grasp. Sam went to move forward to grab her.

"Shelby!" Shelby looked up just in time to see Sam falling towards her. Someone had knocked him out cold. Before she could think to turn around, her vision faded.

Dean had finished his game three hundred dollars richer than he had been when he walked into the bar. He sauntered out the back door and started towards the familiar shine of his baby. He didn't see Shelby or Sam anywhere. After checking the back seat and the parking lot, he walked back inside the bar to see if they had ended up waiting for him in there. Nada. He walked back out the door and started questioning some of the drunken bar flies. No one had seen them. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Shelby's number. He heard her phone ringing some distance off. If they were trying to scare him, they didn't think it through very well.

He followed the ringing past the Impala and to the old, rusty dumpster at the edge of the parking lot by the highway. He looked behind the dumpster and found Shelby's phone lighting up on the ground. His smiling face stared back at him on the screen.

"Real funny guys. I'm not that drunk." Dean turned around, smiling, waiting for the two to come out from hiding. When they didn't, he walked further behind the dumpster. Shining his flashlight on the ground, he came across Sam's phone also, along with both their guns and other small, miscellaneous weapons that were easy to hide. Dean picked up Shelby's mothers pocket knife. She never went anywhere without this thing. Something was wrong.

 **-TOL-**

"Ugh, where are we?" Shelby opened her eyes slowly and looked to her left towards the cage where Sam was. She didn't bother answering because she had no idea. Wherever they were, their captors thought it'd be funny to take all her clothes, save for her bra, panties, and tank top. She was cold but the heat from her anger kept her warm enough not to shiver.

"Country, some farm." Another voice came through the darkness. Shelby could hear Sam moving around slowly in his cage. After a few rustles his voice rang through again.

"Where are my clothes?" Shelby stifled a giggle. This was not the time for that. She moved a bit so she could see into Sam's cage. The only light they had was a sliver of moonlight coming through the rotting roof of the barn they were in.

"I can hear you laughing Shelby. It's not funny. I'm cold." Shelby didn't try to hide her laugh this time. Sam noticed her movement to his right. He maneuvered so he could see into Shelby's cage. His eyes looked worried when her own met his.

"You're bleeding."

"I hadn't noticed." Shelby's voice was dripping with sarcasm, as well as the blood Sam mentioned. Sam moved his gaze down. He was just worried for her. Shelby sighed.

"Sorry Sam. I couldn't get the bleeding to stop. Whatever that was, it got me good. Are you okay? Still got all your body parts?" She could just barely see his smile through the crack.

"Yeah, I'm good. Now how are we gonna get out of here?" Sam started pulling on the wires that he could reach from outside his cage. He pulled some free, but nothing happened.

"No idea, this fruitcake over here said they open the gates to feed with a key and locked switchboard. They come once a day." At the end of her sentence, the other man's gate latch opened. Shelby and Sam turned their attention to him. Sam tried to reason with him to stay here, it had to be a trap. The guy was having none of it. He promised to come back with the police in the morning. Shelby rolled her eyes. The man scrambled frantically to get out of the barn as fast as possible.

"Welp, he's dead." Sam looked hard at Shelby and clenched his jaw. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Sorry, I'm not in the mood for sugarcoating anything right now." Sam leaned back onto the cold metal bars of his cage. Shelby leaned her back against the adjoined walls. There they sat for a couple of hours. Neither of them talked. Sam was thinking of ways to get out of this. Unlike Shelby, he didn't fully trust Dean to get here soon enough. Shelby was thinking about what Missouri had said. She still needed Sam's help. Well, now was as good a time as any. Not like they had any plans anytime soon.

"Sam, about what I was saying earlier. I really need you to keep quiet about this."

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Shelby told Sam everything she knew about what Missouri had told her. Sam hadn't said a word since she had started, not that she had really given him a chance to talk. She was too nervous. When she finished, she took a big breath in and let it out loudly. It had been killing her keeping this from them. She had just been waiting for the right time and she didn't want to worry them until she knew what to do about it.

"Wow. I can see why you don't want to tell Dean. I think we need to find out whatever is going on and then deal with him later." Shelby nodded, then realized that he couldn't see her.

"Yeah. I just, I don't want to keep secrets from him Sam. I promised him I wouldn't."

"Yes, but this isn't really a secret. You don't have anything to really tell him that would affect anything right now. As soon as we know, you can tell him. You won't have time to keep it a real secret." Shelby smiled. Sam was trying so hard to calm her down.

"He will kill me Sam. I'm a monster."

"You don't know that! You could be a Unicorn for all we know!" Shelby laughed out loud at Sam's statement.

"I haven't noticed a horn growing lately." She answered with a laugh. Her brow furrowed. She forgot what Missouri had said about Norse Mythology.

"You know, she did say that I should read up on Norse Mythology. Off the top of my head I can't think of any monsters there. Mostly Gods. Thor, Loki, Odin. Most of the legends have to do with warriors of The Nine Realms."

"I thought I was a nerd."

"You're lucky I can't reach you through these bars." Sam smiled at her remark. Now that she had sat down and thought through this, she had calmed down a bit. If she was right about the Gods and warriors, maybe she wasn't a monster, per say…

"We'll figure it out Shelby. Bobby can help us too."

"No. Sam I don't want anyone else knowing about this. No one. Okay? If word gets out I could be on someone's hit list."

"Okay. You're the boss. My lips are sealed."

"Damn right." Sam heard Shelby slide down the shared wall a bit. All of a sudden he felt a warm hand slide into his. The bottom of the cage's' bars were bigger. Shelby had slid her hand though. He squeezed it tight.

"Everything will be okay. Dean will probably be here before the sun rises."

"That's not what I'm scared about." Shelby tightened her grip on Sam's hand. He thought he knew why she had grabbed his hand. He assumed she was scared of what they might find when they look into what Shelby might be, scared of Dean. They heard blood-curdling screams in the distance.

"Told ya." He didn't have a reply. Instead he slid down into a more comfortable position, still holding onto Shelby's hand. Sooner than he would have thought, he could hear her steady, rhythmic breathing. He wasn't really tired, and had a lot to think about, plus he wanted to be awake if any of these monsters came in.

 **-TOL-**

Shelby was dreaming, Sam could tell. She had moved from her slouching position earlier into a fetal position on the floor, still gripping Sam's hand the best she could. He didn't really know what to do to help her. Usually Dean was the one to calmly wake her up or rock her back and forth until the dream ended. Sam couldn't exactly reach her at the moment. He did the only thing he could do and held onto her hand as tightly as he could.

The sun had started to bleed in through the poorly constructed barn that served as their prison. Sam took this opportunity to look around properly at his surroundings.

 **-TOL-**

 _Shelby ran as fast as she could through the overgrown bushes to the Impala. Damn her father. He was certain this wasn't a shifter. She should have listened to her gut. She heard more shots coming from the old barn where her father, John, and Dean were holding off the skinwalker. She skidded to a halt and jammed the key into the trunk, flinging it open haphazardly and rummaging around through the random killing devices in the trunk before finding the stash of silver bullets. She jumped when a hand slammed on her shoulder. She turned around almost too quick to register and almost pulled the trigger on her father._

 _"Damn it dad! I told you it was shifters! Why can't you ever just fucking listen to me!" Shelby didn't look him in the eye, instead she gathered as many guns as she could and loaded them with all their silver bullets. Colt helped her as best he could. He knew Shelby was right and he was regretting not listening to her earlier. Now his best friend and son were in a barn full of skinwalkers without silver._

 _"I know. It was stupid."_

 _"Well, you shouldn't be so damn proud of yourself all the time. I know what I'm doing! Here, take this. Hopefully Dean and John aren't shifter meat now." Shelby shoved four guns and a few extra clips into Colt's hands and turned around to the trunk again._

 _"GO! Dad, now." Colt looked down and decided to wait till after the fight to talk to his daughter. She was so much like her mother it scared him. Her mother was a much better hunter than he ever had been. He saw Amelia shining through Shelby every day. He ran, guns blazing into the barn._

 _Shelby turned quickly when she heard multiple gunshots and lots of screaming coming from the barn. The shots stopped suddenly. The shifter should be gone now. Good, her dad did something right on this hunt, even if he was drunk for half of it. The shot's fired up again after a second and Shelby's stomach dropped. She grabbed her silver knife and ran as fast as she could back to the barn. Twelve seconds. That's how long it took her to get from the car to the open barn doors. Twelve seconds for her to go from hating her father to hating herself. Twelve seconds ago her father had been shooting at a shapeshifter. Twelve seconds ago she had one of two parents that were still alive._

 _Shelby fell to her knees beside her dad's mutilated torso. Dean and John stepped back a few feet. They both had picked up the guns Colt had dropped when a hidden shifter jumped him. Blood of the shifter and her father soaked into her black jeans. She rocked back and forth over her fathers body. Dean was talking, but she couldn't make any of it out. All she could hear was the blood pumping through her veins, so loud in her ears. Someone grabbed her and turned her red face towards them. She should have seen green eyes that resembled her own, but all she saw was red. Blood running over her hands and her fathers face._

 **-TOL-**

"NO!" Sam jumped rather animatedly when Shelby's loud voice resounded through the empty barn. Shelby jumped up and pulled her hand from Sam's. He had relaxed as much as possible once he realized there was no way of getting out of there. He would just have to wait on Dean. He was much more awake now. He heard Shelby breathing hard on the other side of the bars. He squeezed his larger hands through the hole hers had been through for most of the night and searched for her. After a minute or two, he felt a clammy hand under his own. He grasped hard.

"Shelby, hey it's okay. You're okay." Sam didn't have much else to say, or do for that matter. He didn't know why she was freaking out. He waited until her breathing became steady again before her spoke.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay." There was a pregnant pause between the prisoners before a soft sigh was heard.

"My dad. He- ah. He died in a barn like this." Sam sucked in a big breath and gripped Shelby's hand even tighter than he was before.

"Shelby, I'm sor-"

"I know Sammy. I know." Sam was curious about how Colt had died. Dean wouldn't tell him and he hadn't had the courage to push Shelby. Colt had been like an uncle to Sam growing up and he was devastated when Shelby broke the news to him almost a year ago. He had gotten this much out of her, why not push for a bit more?

"What, uh, what happened?" He asked softly. He didn't want to ruin this.

"Skin-walker. They had your brother and dad trapped. My dad ran in there and another one came out of hiding and ripped him up. He was gone by the time I made it back in. Dean and John finished the shifter." Shelby finished quite abruptly. Sam could tell there was more.

"And?"

"And. It was my fault. I blame myself. If I would have just persisted a bit longer to convince him to bring silver bullets in we would have been prepared. He wouldn't have died, Sam. I got both of my parents killed. What a fucking track record, huh?" Shelby finished with a laugh. Sam sighed. Shelby had so many great qualities about her, but she blamed herself for everything. She always wanted to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. He hated that about her.

"Shelby, no. You are not responsible for that. You need to forgive yourself. You always do this to yourself and it's not healthy." Shelby didn't say anything back for a long while. Sam figured the conversation was over. Usually once Shelby put her mind to an idea or action, that was it. He wasn't going to waste his time arguing. Shelby thought about what Sam had said. Dean had a similar attitude towards the situation. She was just following orders, like was expected of Dean and herself. She spoke finally, waking Sam from the short nap he had allowed himself.

"You know when I said I was over it. Well, I am. I've accepted the fact that he's dead. I'm trying to push past the fact that I wasn't prepared for the fight, that ultimately got him killed. But I can never accept the way I left things between us. I mean, the last time I talked to him I was bitching him out for being stupid and not thinking on a hunt. Blaming him for possibly killing Dean or John. I feel so horrible Sam. Dean doesn't know about this. I was pretty messed up for a while after he died. Dean was driving himself and I mad over trying to help me cope. I really didn't want to freak him out even more." Sam smiled ruefully to himself. He felt so special, as elementary as that sounded... Shelby shared something very personal with him that she hadn't told Dean. He shook his head as Shelby continued. So many secrets he was being entrusted with.

"I mean, I didn't even tell him I loved him, or get to say goodbye."

"Shelby, he knew you loved him. I know he did, or he wouldn't have done what he did. There were times I remember before I left, overhearing our dad's talking. Colt would always want to leave the life, start you in college. He wanted to send you to Julliard, you know." At that, Shelby smiled brightly. She didn't even know her dad knew what Julliard was.

"He never could leave the life though, he saw how happy saving the day made you. So he stayed, for you." Sam had gotten a little choked up at that. He was jealous. He knew John loved Dean and him. But he still knew the only reason his dad hunted was to get revenge for his mom. Dean and Sam had made it clear throughout their childhood they wanted a normal life, but John ignored it.

"Thanks Sammy."

"Anytime." Sam could feel Shelby's heat through the small, finger-sized openings in the metal bars dividing their cages. She sniffled a few times, then took a breath in to say something. At that moment, the big barn doors opened and two burly men walked in. The stench of rotting flesh followed them. Shelby feigned sleep and dropped Sam's hand. Sam tried to stay calm and kept his eyes on the men.

Human. They were just humans. Figures. The shorter of the two was carrying a small woman bridal style. His companion pushed a button by the doors and another cage opened. The woman, who was clad in a undershirt and underwear, groaned loudly as she was thrown into the dirt floor cage.

"Police gettin' involved now. Daddy won't be too happy 'bout this. They ain't never got involved before. These new catches must be somethin' special."

"Special or not. They'll be gone by tanight. You heard daddy." Shelby shivered involuntarily as the two men talked back and forth to each other as they walked out. She didn't open her eyes until the barn doors slammed shut. She peeked out of a hole in her cage and came face to face with brown eyes of an older woman.

"You Shelby?" The woman asked.

"Yeah. This is Sam. But something tells me you already know that." The woman blinked long before she answered.

"Yeah. Your husband's looking for you and your brother." Sam rolled his eyes. Shelby smiled to herself. _Husband?_

"Great, where is he?"

"Oh God. I uh, I handcuffed him to my car."

 **-TOL-**

 **Let me know what ya'll think! Aren't people cray cray!? Please review so I know I'm doing alright! Have a good night peeps. Gooseygirl**


	12. War Of My Life

**_Chapter 12: War of my Life_**

 ** _So fight on. I won't give up._**

 ** _Fight on everyone, I won't run._**

 ** _Fight on, I won't stop for anyone._**

 ** _Got no choice but to fight 'till it's done._**

 ** _Fight on, I won't give up._**

 ** _Fight on everyone, I won't run._**

 ** _Fight on, I won't stop for anyone._**

 ** _Got no choice but to fight 'till it's done._**

 ** _So fight on, I won't give up._**

 ** _Fight on._**

 ** _-John Mayer_**

Shelby rolled her eyes at the officer. There was a reason she didn't like cops. She could hear Sam sigh.

"Thanks." Shelby made sure to lay the sarcasm on thick. She knew the woman was just doing her job, but she felt like she earned a little leeway to be annoyed. She played polite to people way too often.

"You're a lot like your husband. By the way I'm Kathleen, nice to meet you too." Shelby rolled her eyes at the woman's comment but said nothing. She laid out as comfortably as she could on the dirt floor. She was bored. She wasn't too worried about Dean. He knew how to get out of cuffs.

"It's okay. He'll be okay. Trust me." Sam said soothingly to the woman officer. He had to trust Dean could get out here. As far as Sam could tell, there wasn't any way for them to escape from the inside. Before Kathleen could reply, the old barn doors creaked open. Shelby snapped her head over. No way those guys would be back that quick. They mentioned they liked to hunt at night. It had to be-

"Shelby! Baby are you okay?" Dean rushed over to her cage and tried prying the door open. He slammed his open palm into it when it wouldn't budge. Realizing it wasn't going to open immediately, he knelt down to check Shelby over.

"Yeah, good luck. They use some kind of key trigger-button-system-thingy. The box is over there." Shelby pointed to the dark metal key box on the far wall by the doors. Dean didn't pay attention, he was still trying to assess Shelby's condition. His eyes swept over Sam briefly before returning to Shelby.

"You're bleeding. What did this to you guys? Sammy, are you okay?" Sam nodded.

"Yeah, not what, who. Dude, they're just people."

"Some fucked-up-in-the-head people." Shelby added. Dean smirked a little at her comment.

"They're just people? And they jumped you? Sam I could see, but Shelby, really baby? You're losing your magic touch." Shelby huffed at his comment but smiled despite herself. She had a lot on her mind, but nothing for Dean to know about right now. Candy apple green eyes swept over the rest of the barn, looking for anything to pry the cage doors open with. Nothing, but Dean's eyes did come across the officer that helped him.

"Hey Officer Hudak. Fancy meeting you here. Come by often?" Dean swaggered over to her cage, making sure she wasn't seriously injured. She eyed him curiously.

"How'd you get out of my cuffs?" Dean's smile widened a bit.

"My wife can get a little freaky in bed, if you know what I mean." He wiggled his eyebrows and tilted his head in Shelby's direction.

"Hey! I'm right here!" Shelby piped up. How embarrassing?! Dean stood up from his kneeling position in front of Kathleen's cage and paced around for a minute. Not finding anything that could help him get everyone out, he sighed and walked back over to where Shelby and Sam's cages were.

"Okay, I'm gonna go up to the house and see if I can find this magic key. I'll be right back."

"Be careful, Hot-shot." Shelby wasn't sure what name Dean had given to the officer. To any and all form of government, Dean Winchester was killed the night he attacked a young woman in her early twenties in a cheap motel room.

"I will Princess. You keep her safe Sam." Dean pointed his gaze at his brother before heading out the back of the barn quietly.

 **-TOL-**

Dean held his breath. That little bitch had tried to stab him. She had yelled to her daddy and the bastard had knocked him out. He had been awake for a few minutes now and the old man hadn't wasted any time. He had a hot poker about two inches from his eyeball.

"I ain't gonna ask again, boy. I'll take yer eye out, cha hear?" Dean thought about what he would say next. Shelby or Sam? Who had a better chance against them? Shelby was quick and knew how to throw her own around. But she was injured. She probably had a concussion, which might hinder her ability. Sam had seemed unharmed.

"The guy, the guy alright!" The old man pulled the hot iron away from Dean's face.

"You heard him. This time, make sure you do it in the cage. No chance of more cops showin' up. When you're done with him, kill the bitch cop. An' bring that purdy little thang back inta the house. I ain't done with her yet." The man turned his head towards Dean. All he could see was red.

"Hey, you mother fuckers touch her and I will kill you. I will kill you all. Do you hear me!" Dean's words fell on deaf ears. He tried to lunge out of the chair towards the man, but his ties held strong. The dad was already shouting orders to his all-too-excited sons. Dean was too angry to think about anything other than killing the men who stood before him.

 **-TOL-**

"You sure you can watch him?" Shelby asked the woman. She was nervous about leaving the sheriff with the old man. She had seen that look in a lot of people she and her family had saved. They wanted revenge. This man had killed her brother for sport. She didn't really mind that he died, hell she actually thought he deserved more than a quick bullet to the head. But hey, who was she to give pointers? The woman probably wouldn't let her go if she revealed some of the things running through her head.

"Yeah." Sam grabbed Shelby's arm. She nodded to the officer and followed Sam out the barn quickly. Dean was still tied to the chair and some little grungy pre-teen was watching over him. Shelby knocked her out quickly before stuffing her in a closet. Sam hurried to untie his brother. They walked out the door and were met by Kathleen walking out of the barn. No grandpa in tow. Shelby eyed Sam. He caught the look and let his eyes slide down to his feet.

"Grandpa?"

"Shot... Trying to escape." Kathleen's eyes ended on Shelby. Shelby stared right back at her. The older woman lost the staring contest. The group headed over to the Police car and Kathleen radioed for backup. She warned the trio that they should be gone by the time the cops showed up. Shelby and Sam went to look for a car to hot wire while Dean thanked the officer once again.

Sam and Shelby had walked off while Dean was chatting with the officer. They stood off the beaten path a ways and faced away from the house. Shelby looked around at the foliage very intently as she took in a deep breath. She started pulling at the leaves of a low hanging branch off of one of the willow trees. Sam looked down the path that lead into the pitch black woods. He looked towards Shelby when she spoke softly.

"Sam, thank you for being understanding about all this crazy stuff with me. I don't know if I would be able to do it alone." She smiled up at Sam shyly. He smiled down at her.

"No problem." Dean walked up and wrapped his arm around Shelby's shoulder. He kissed the side of her head. Shelby sighed into him.

"Couldn't find a running car?" Dean asked with a smile on his face. Sam shook his head and turned away.

"Nope." Sam said lightly. He headed out towards the woods, avoiding the puddles from the recent storm, thinking about everything he just learned from Shelby. He felt better than he probably should, Shelby's information and trust giving him some happiness after the last two days.

"Guess we'll get a good workout tonight." Shelby returned Dean's kiss and they followed Sam.

 **-TOL-**

Dean sped off from the Wendy's drive-thru, shot gun seat full of greasy food and sodas. He was heading back to the cheap motel room the three had been staying at the past couple of nights. He was not happy about it. He was ready to move onto another hunt. He was ready for more action, out of his rut. Shelby showed no signs of falling out of the hunter's life and into a home, so Dean wasn't going to try to stop her, he knew he would only fail. So he was ready for battle. He needed to keep his mind off of thoughts that kept drifting into his head at night.

It had been a week or so since the crazy human family had captured Shelby and Sam. Dean was getting annoyed at the two. Ever since they had gotten back on the road, they had been all buddy-buddy with each other. Late nights, sometimes he would wake up and find Sam, and Shelby sitting on the bed next to him, reading books or being mesmerized by something on a computer screen. He didn't like it. Any sensible person would confront one of them by now. But Dean Winchester wasn't a normal person. No, Dean Winchester was the kind of person to dig until he found something to accuse the cheating party of. Now he knew cheating was a loose term to use in this situation. Shelby would never do that to him. No, they were plotting something, or had found something. Maybe about his father? Why wouldn't they tell him?

Shelby's mind was reeling. This past week had been a blur of Norse Mythology books and articles. Sam had been helping as best he could. They had crossed so many things off their list. There wasn't much more she could be. Shelby slammed her laptop shut and rubbed her eyes. Besides worrying about her secret research, Shelby was worried about Dean. He was acting weird lately, ever since getting back from their last hunt. He hadn't been sleeping well. He was tossing and turning throughout the night. He would yell her name out and grab for her. Sometimes she would be in bed with him, calm him down quickly, then let herself fall back to sleep. Most nights she had been in Sam's bed or on the couch reading more on Norse legends. Sam would send a pathetic looks towards his brother then his gaze would follow Shelby while she calmly put her book or laptop down and go comfort him.

"Hey, I think I found something." Shelby removed her hands from her face and scooted closer to Sam. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"So get this. This book seems to be the Norse equivalent of the Christian Bible. It talks about their Gods and warriors. All the legends are covered. The only thing I could find that might be related to what Missouri was talking about are these things called Valkyrie. They're like Amazon warriors, kind of. There was a handful of them throughout history, each had her own job, some were healers, if they didn't like who died or got hurt, they would give them a second chance. Others were like reapers, they took warriors off of the battlefield when it was their time. I mean, there's a whole list of names and descriptions." Sam looked at Shelby. Her eyes were moving quickly over the old text from the book in Sam's lap. He didn't say anything while she read. He finally couldn't take the silence anymore. He knew who Shelby was, er, where she came from? It wasn't a bad thing! Dean shouldn't have a problem. Shelby might. He wasn't sure. Dean and Shelby were pretty much the same person. If Sam didn't think Dean would have a problem…

"Her name is Araedi, pronounced Ah-rah-dee, which means courage. It says that she led warriors into battle. If they were second guessing themselves or anything, she would give a speech and rally for their cause, and the warriors would fight to get into the front lines of the battle. She would fight alongside soldiers, with whatever side she saw fit to win, whether the cause was Godly or not. She seemed like she was kind of a rebel. The other Valkyrie cast her out, so she ran off by herself, fighting where she could. She never seemed to be able to settle down. She did run with Loki for a while, they would start wars within the nine realms, mostly over trivial stuff, but whatever she fought for, she fought hard."

"Huh. So I'm a Norse warrior who shacked up with Loki. Great. This is just great. How come I don't remember any of this? And why did Missouri make it seem like my mom would know?"

"I'm not sure about your mom. But it said that when the Valkyrie have completed their missions in that lifetime, they die, sometimes of old age, naturally, or sometimes violently, depending on how they lived that life cycle." Sam said quietly. He figured she'd take this differently.

"Hey look at it this way, at least you weren't a monster. You just-"

"Led thousands of men to their deaths." Shelby covered her face with her hands. How could this be right?

"Honorable deaths, going down for something they believed in. How many times have you given Dean or I a pep talk before heading into a fight? We were fighting for what we believed in, saving people." Shelby took in a deep breath to give Sam her two cents, but Dean barged in through the door. Shelby jumped away from Sam and looked tenderly up at Dean. He dropped the food and drinks on the table and launched himself on his bed. He looked dirtily at Sam, but said nothing. Shelby rolled her eyes and got off the bed. She sat down at the table and started stuffing her face, she was starving. Sam closed the book and set it at the foot of his bed before grabbing his bag of food.

Dean took his bag of fast food from the bedside table and started eating. He chewed loudly while his companions ate silently. Sam finished his salad and quickly grabbed some clothes from his duffel and headed to the bathroom. Shelby ate her food a little slower than normal. Dean finished his and tossed the bag into the small trash can. He wanted to say something. He knew he should just tell her what had been bugging him. He should ask her what was going on between her and Sam. He was rubbing his hands together, trying to form the words when Shelby's sweet voice drifted over.

"What's up with you lately? I can hardly sleep at night without you waking me up." Dean's face flushed. Why did he hesitate to talk first?

"I'm surprised you're actually sleeping. Most of the time you seem to be cozying up to Sam. What's up with that, huh?" Shelby diverted her eyes. It was her turn to blush. She let her eyes drift along the motel walls, studying the mountain pictures very closely. She wasn't sure about anything yet so she wasn't going to tell him anything about her ancestry. So she mustered up some courage to stay strong and not spill the beans. She turned the tables back over to Dean.

"Nice try, buddy. I asked first. Spill." Shelby put her cheeseburger down and sat down on Dean's lap. He rested his hands on her hips and laid his head on her chest. He didn't say anything. Shelby didn't pressure him, just let him breath, in and out for a few minutes while he gathered some courage.

"Dean, you can tell me anything you know."

"I could say the same thing."

"Okay, even though I asked first, I'll be the grown-up in this situation. There is nothing going on between Sam and I. We're researching for a couple of hunts Bobby asked us to help on. No biggie. I didn't want to bother you with any of it because of how much trouble you're having while sleeping. You need as much rest as you can get."

"I need to get out of here. I need a new hunt. I can't let my mind wander. Baby, I just... That sick bastard was gonna take you, in front of me. I can't get it out of my head. I just keep thinking back to-"

"I know. I know, baby. It's okay. That didn't happen. And you're thinking of something that happened so long ago. You saved me. So, please, just remember the happy ending to that memory. I'm here with you now. That monster is long gone, you made sure of that." Dean pulled Shelby in close. He hated that memory. That was the first time he had killed a man. A real man and not a monster. He didn't regret it. Shelby tried not to think of that night but it was hard.

 **-TOL-**

 _A fifteen-year-old Shelby lay on the ground behind the bar. She wiped her face off with bloody hands. Her fingernails were bleeding from trying to scratch the man who jumped her. Her eyes were staring blankly into the brick wall across the alley. She felt someone tugging her pants up and she couldn't help but to start screaming. Strong arms wrapped around her and soft lips came to her forehead. She tried struggling. Eventually, the soft lips started forming words. Soothing words._

 _"Shelby, Princess. He's not gonna hurt you anymore. I promise." Shelby finally focused her eyes onto Dean's face. He had blood splattered across his tan features. She slowly nodded her head. Dean leaned back and pulled Shelby up. She stayed put, body numb while he pulled her pants the rest of the way up. He struggled a bit since she just kind of stood there. Shelby still had tears running down her face. Her eyes kept replaying Dean pulling the trigger. She looked down to the dirty ground at the man. He had red hair and a long beard. Her dad's age. She eyed the deep, red hole in between those cold blue eyes._

 _Anger and rage consumed her. She started screaming and couldn't stop. Before Dean could even think to move Shelby grabbed the gun out of his pants and emptied the rest of the clip into that gingers skull. Dean stood there. He didn't know what to do or say. Shelby stopped screaming and handed the gun back to him and turned towards the parking lot. Dean took one last look at the alleyway and followed Shelby. They never spoke of that night again. No one knew about it._

 **-TOL-**

Shelby shivered around Dean. A few tears dropped into his hair and she took a deep breath in. She didn't like to think about that night, and hadn't in a long while. She sighed. She felt bad for Dean. Yet she didn't know how to fix it other than getting his mind off of what happened. Watching his little brother and girlfriend work closely together, secretly, she might add, definitely would not help.

"You're right. We need to get back on the road. Get this shit behind us. Dean. What happened, happened. There's nothing you or I can do about it. But, it made us who we are. There's a better life ahead of us." Shelby was ready to get everything off of her mind. She really did believe that there was something better coming. Maybe not now, but somewhere in the future her and Dean would find peace. One thing she was sure of, she didn't want to tell Dean about the Valkyrie stuff; not yet. Not with everything that was happening with Dean. She wasn't sure how he'd feel about it and if he did feel how she thought he would, there was no happy ending for them. She felt like she was at war with herself. Like she was split down the middle. She couldn't decide which side to fight harder for. But she knew one thing, she would have to fight. Fight hard, because that's what she does. She fights and she wins.

"You, Princess, are the best at pep-talks." Dean smiled into Shelby's chest and kissed her collarbone. Shelby laughed to herself at the irony. Oh boy, this battle strategy was getting harder by the second.

 **-TOL-**

 **So what did my lovely readers think of this chapter? Should incorporate SPN fandom's Loki? Or the one from Thor?(My personal fav) Maybe a story in the Marvel Universe of Shelby's time running around with Mr. Hiddleston? :) As always please review for my writing fire fuel reserve! Thanks darlings, Gooseygirl**


	13. Landslide

_**Chapter 13: Landslide**_

 _ **Well, I've been afraid of changing**_

 _ **'Cause I've built my life around you.**_

 _ **But time makes you bolder.**_

 _ **Even children get older,**_

 _ **And I'm getting older too.**_

 _ **\- Fleetwood Mac**_

Dean Winchester was a happy man. The happiness came from a number of circumstances currently decorating his life. The happiness he was feeling right now happened to be coming from the double big mac he was eating. He closed his eyes as he took a long sip from Shelby's Dr. Pepper. He had long ago finished his. His little burst of happiness was taken away abruptly when said owner of Dr. Pepper snatched the large cup out of his hand. He pouted towards Shelby and took another bite from his big mac.

"Sam found some possible leads for us. Unless you're too traumatized from the last hunt." The end of Shelby's sentence held laughter to it. She had found Dean clad in his boxers from the waist down after a German Shepherd tore his blue jeans off. He had been running from a cop after breaking into a convenience store after hours for some desperately needed apple pie after the haunted diner they had worked on didn't serve it. That had been about a week ago. She still hadn't let it go. Dean rolled his eyes and grabbed her soda back for another sip. She let him this time, laughing at the face he had made.

"Shut up." Shelby squinted her eyes.

"I mean I love you."

"That's better." Her laughter filled Dean's ears. He hadn't been hearing a lot of it lately. He missed her laugh. It was another thing that made him happy.

Sam sat down at the corner booth and opened his salad. Shelby grabbed a piece of iceberg lettuce out of the plastic container and popped it in her mouth. Sam gave her a look similar to the one she had given Dean. He looked away with a smile as she gave him her best puppy-dog eyes.

"So there's a couple of interesting stories I found that might be up our alley." Sam started listing cases to Dean, who had finished his sandwich and started on his slice of McApple Pie. Shelby smiled to herself. Dean seemed to be a lot happier lately. After seeing their dad, she wasn't sure how Dean would act. Especially since they had made the hard choice to part ways. Shelby definitely knew she felt a bit better. That distraction had made Dean forget about what had been bothering her lately. Although she was worried about Sam. He did not want to part with John after those years away, especially with Yellow Eyes on their tail, but Shelby could tell their was still some tension between the two. They had been picking up whatever leads they could while they waited for word from John about Yellow Eyes. The renewed vigor in the group almost let Shelby forget about the whole I'm-a-Valkyrie thing. Almost. She was still on edge from that Meg chick. She knew that something was off about her when they met her back in Chicago. She was just glad she was dead. She jolted back to reality when she heard a familiar name.

"Shelby, isn't that your mom's maiden name?"

"Elkins. Yeah. Why?" Sam turned the laptop where Shelby could read and her heart dropped. Her Uncle Daniel, her mom's older brother. The article said he was mauled by a bear in his cabin in Colorado. She slammed the computer shut and grabbed her jacket.

"Come on. He wasn't mauled by a bear." Dean and Sam grabbed their stuff and ran out the door after the girl, not questioning her worried movements. Dean's hands flew to his pockets as he watched Shelby fling gravel up behind the Impala as she came to the glass doors. Sam didn't question anything and got the back seat. Dean stood there dumbfounded for a second.

"How the Hell did you get my keys? I'm driving." Dean pouted for a second until Shelby started talking.

"You don't know where to go and I know the roads the maps don't. This is my uncle, Dean. Just get in." Venom was dripping from her words as she spoke. All she could see was red as she slammed on the gas out of the parking lot towards the highway. Dean and Sam grabbed on to whatever they could to keep in their seats.

"It wasn't a bear. It was vampires. There's a huge nest up there that my Uncle kind of watched over. The Master Vampire kept his little flock in control, they hunt the woods, bagging bears most of the time. Mom said every once in a while the local Sheriff would let a child molester loose up the mountains." Dean gave Shelby a look.

"There's some sickos up there. They try to get off on charges by saying they're crazy since the biggest mental ward in the country is up there. The sheriff can always tell."

"How is that even possible Shelby?"

"She's a psychic." That shut Dean up. He didn't disagree with the death penalty for molesters. Hell he'd even enforced it before. But death by Vampire isn't something he would wish on anyone. See, he's not totally heartless.

"So your Uncle just lived up there playing Vampire Sheriff? Every time one got out of hand he wasted it?" Sam questioned from the back seat.

"Pretty much. Something must have gone wrong if he's dead."

"You can slow down if you want now. No need to over heat Baby." Shelby just gave Dean a look. He gulped.

"Dean you know I'm a better driver than you." Dean scoffed but kept quiet after that. Shelby took her cell phone out of her back pocket and dialed a number quickly without taking her eyes off the road. Dean tried looking over at the phone screen before she put it up to her ear. Shelby gave him a weird look. She returned her eyes to the road as someone picked up the line on the other end.

"Hey, Damon. It's me. Yeah, I'm fine thanks. Hey listen, real quick, you hear anything about the nest up where my uncle watched over? Up in Manning?" She listened for a minute or two while the other person talked. Smirking at Dean's bitch face. She nodded her head solemnly.

"Okay thanks so much. No, I think we can handle it. I'll give you a call if we can't. Yes, he is. No, not anytime soon. Yes, whenever we're down there, I promise. Now that, I can't. Goodbye Damon. Thanks." Shelby ended the call with a small smile on her tanned face. Dean recognized that name. Some punk that lived down south, some water fall town. He had had to sit through a summer of that kid trying to get into Shelby's pants when she was seventeen. That guy had to be older than Dean was, but that didn't stop him. He wanted to rip his throat out then. He wouldn't have to be pushed to do it now, either. Shelby looked over at Dean with a sarcastic look.

"Everything okay baby?" She sang. Dean's bitch face game was stronger than it ever had been. He moved his candy apple eyes sharply out the window and ignored her question. Shelby sniggered. She loved it when Dean got jealous. He was so adorable. She sobered up. She really didn't contact Damon Salvatore unless she had to. He was a Master Vamp down in Mystic Falls, Virginia. He was an old family friend. On her mother's side. He had lots of eyes and ears all over the country. She laughed half-heartedly to herself. Her mother's side of the family had a lot of supernatural 'friends' now that she thought about it. She supposed it made more sense since she had learned about her true heritage. A lot of them, her father had known about, and wanted to kill; out of respect for his late wife, he never did. He had not regretted that decision. Those friends in low places had saved his ass a time or two. Dean and the other Winchesters knew nothing of any of her family friends being supernatural creatures. If they did, one of the two parties wouldn't last long.

"Damon said some vamp bitch that Daniel missed years ago came back for him. She wiped out the master vamp, ran off most of his followers. Said something about him having some gun. She was under orders of her master to find it." Shelby looked at her watch, then her speedometer. She pressed the gas a little more, not even close to pushing Baby to her limits in her opinion. Dean said nothing, still slightly fuming over Damon. Sam mumbled a response in the back seat, waiting to be patched through to the local P.D. in Manning.

"Just give them my name and she should send everything they've got to you." Sam nodded his head acknowledging Shelby's advice. Shelby turned a five hour drive into a three hour drive. They made it to the cabin before dark.

 **-TOL-**

The homely looking log cabin was turned upside down when Shelby pushed open the wooden door. The police hadn't moved anything after they took his body; probably never would. Sheriff Videl would made sure of it. Shelby made a mental note to call Bobby and have him send someone over to clear it out and put it in storage. She wasn't sure if she could without breaking down. Dean and Sam looked around for any clues as to where the vamps might've gone. Shelby had found an old family photo album of Daniel and her mom growing up. Pocketing a clear photo of her mom on a horse, she jumped slightly when Sam's voice cut through the chilly air.

"Hey guys, look. Here's his journal."

"I don't know if there's anything useful in there for this hunt, but keep it. He taught my dad and I a lot." Sam nodded and slipped the journal into his jacket's over sized inner pocket. Dean knelt down among the debris of paper and cracked furniture. Shelby peered over his shoulder.

"Find anything?"

"Looks like some type of scribbling or scratches in the floor. It has some kind of pattern to it." Shelby turned and grabbed a stray piece of paper out of her late uncle's desk and handed it to Dean. Sam handed him an old #2 pencil. Dean ran the smooth pencil over the scratches in the floor. When he pulled up the blood soaked paper, there were some letters and numbers on the back.

"That's a mail drop combo." Sam grabbed his phone and enter the numbers into the memo pad, keeping it safe for later. Shelby helped pull Dean up.

"Well, something's in there. Might as well go find it." Shelby spoke matter-of-factly. Her mood had dampened again when she saw the mess in here. Whenever she would visit, Daniel would have the place spotless. This wasn't right. Sam stood from his crouching position and started searching again.

"Let's see if we can find where he hid that gun you mentioned. If they were after it, it had to have had some hiding spot. Hopefully they didn't get to it." After about two hours of searching, Shelby stepped outside. She was ready to sleep. She had a long drive, for her at least. She hated driving longer than an hour to get somewhere.

They hadn't found jack in the cabin; save for a previously locked cherry wood COLT case. Sam and Dean joined her shortly after. They decided to abandon the cabin and follow up on the drop box code. About a half hour later, the three hunters were standing in front of a safety deposit box in the small town post office. Opening the box, there was a thick envelope with chicken scratch on the front. It read "A.E." on top in black ink; blood red ink had made a crude "X" over it. Below that was "C.B." in red ink, the same red ink that had put a big "X" over the top initials. "C.B." also had a blue "X" over the top, with "J.W." at the bottom of the white envelope. Three sets of eyes looked up at the same time.

Back in the car, they were trying to decide whether to open the envelope or not when someone thumped on the passenger side window. John Winchester barely had his hands up over his head when Shelby pulled the safety off her .9 mil, aiming it right between his eyes. He smiled solemnly at her, thinking to himself, he should have known better than to sneak up on her. Shelby lowered her gun slowly, giving John one of the best Winchester bitch faces in the books.

 **-TOL-**

A dark haired woman stood outside of a ram shackled red barn in the middle of nowhere Colorado. She was talking rapidly on her cell phone, pacing back and forth in front of the white barn doors. Her studded biker jacket glinted in the sun. She wiped her forehead, not missing a beat in her pacing.

"Yes, I am positive. It's the gun you're looking for. I can send you a picture. Also, sir, there is something else. I saw on your list something about a girl… Well, I saw pictures of her in this Elkins guys cabin. Yes, I did some research and she has the same name." The woman paused and listened intently to whoever was on the other end of the phone. She smiled wickedly.

"Yes sir. I will deliver them both to you within the week. Our scouts have told us they are on their way as we speak. I promise, my guys won't rough her up too badly. Just enough to subdue her to travel to you safely." The woman snapped her phone shut, triumphant smile plastered on her weathered looking skin. She walked into the barn and started barking orders at the group of un-dead slackies she had been given by her boss. She swore, once she got the money from this buyer, she'd take those damn daylight rings off these idiots and find some real muscle. Hell, she'd change them if she had to.

 **-TOL-**

"Thanks for letting me ride with you John. It's so awkward in that damn Impala." John nodded slightly and let a smirk grace his handsome face. He was waiting for the young girl to jump angrily out of the Impala. He could tell by the tense silence coming from both of his boys that they had been arguing about him returning. That's one thing he liked about Shelby. She didn't bullshit. She got to the point. Her bluntness was annoying for some people, but in this life, it was refreshing. He knew he needed to talk to Sam about, well, _everything_. His passenger had reminded him twice before she even had her seat belt fastened. He was just waiting for Sam. Mostly because he didn't really know what to say.

All of a sudden, the Impala sped up, driving in the wrong lane, beside of John's old truck before it swerved dangerously in front of them. Both vehicles came to a screeching halt in the middle of the road, perpendicular to the winding blacktop. John cursed under his breath and unbuckled his seat belt. Before he could get out of the truck, Shelby put a firm hand over his chest.

"Keep calm, John. He looked up to you all his life, then you let the whole college thing get in the way. He's grown up now but he needs his dad, not an army drill sergeant. " John took in a big breath and nodded. He didn't let it out until he closed the truck door and walked towards Sam, who had rushed out of the Impala's driving seat. Shelby stayed where she was. This was between John and Sam.

Though Dean didn't think so.

She sighed and hopped out of the truck, trying not to overhear their conversation. She grabbed Dean roughly and pulled him off the road. He was mumbling about never trusting Sam to drive again. She rubbed his shoulders through his dad's leather jacket and looked towards the father and son. Dean turned towards her, about to speak.

"No. John and Sam are working this out, now you two need to. I'm not sitting in that damn car while you two sulk." Dean rolled his eyes, but looked defeated. After some time of watching his brother solemnly, he turned towards Shelby with a devilish smirk.

"So, you, uh, come here often?" He winked at the end of his sentence. It was Shelby's turn to roll her green eyes. She kissed him lightly on the lips and pulled away before he could grab her for more.

"Time to go. They're done. And I'm not getting left behind." Dean looked dejectedly towards the two black vehicles. Both with tall silhouettes in the foggy windows. Shelby gave Dean a pointed look.

"Talk to him Dean." He mumbled a grumpy 'okay' to his girlfriend and headed to his car. He made Sam scoot over before backing up and letting John and Shelby in the lead again. Dean situated himself uncomfortably in the driver's seat before glancing at his baby brother.

"So, Sammy…"

 **-TOL-**

Dean was cursing to himself. Those damn vamps had Shelby. He didn't even know how it happened. One minute their little foursome was kicking ass and taking names, the next, Shelby was screaming angrily while three big vampires jumped her from behind. Before anyone could reach her, or the vamps that had her, they sped out of the barn at an inhuman speed. Why would they take her? The hunters hadn't gotten the Colt from the nest. He didn't understand. Dean turned angrily to his father. He still wasn't telling the boys anything.

"You need to start explaining why the Hell this gun is so important that it got Shelby kidnapped." Dean clenched his jaw angrily as John rummaged around in his arsenal. He sighed before putting his machete back in the now organized trunk.

"I'll explain everything on the way."

"On the way to where?"

"Funeral home. We need dead man's blood."

 **-TOL-**

Shelby opened her eyes slowly. Her shoulders ached, as did her head. She groaned when she tried to touch the back of her throbbing head. She looked up slowly. Her wrists were starting to bleed from the zip ties holding her up. She stood on her very tip-toes to relieve some of the stress her arms were under. She sighed, slightly content for now. She blinked a few times to clear the sleep from her now dull green eyes and looked around.

This was a different warehouse than they had ambushed the vamps earlier. She couldn't tell much from the empty floor space and boarded up windows. She could tell that they weren't in the country anymore. She could hear heavy traffic outside. Hopefully the boys and John would find her soon. She wasn't sure if she could get out of here and kill all the vamps alone.

She raked her eyes slowly around the darkened warehouse, trying to collect any information that could help her escape. She saw the Colt strapped in an old leather hip holster on a table in the corner of the room. There was nothing else in the open space. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering silently why the vampires would take her. They hadn't gotten the Colt yet, so they didn't need her as a bargaining chip.

Her questions were answered when she heard the familiar click of boot heels coming towards one of the two doors to the warehouse room. They stopped right outside of the black door. She could see a short, brown-haired woman speaking on a phone through the small slit of a window. Shelby turned her head and concentrated hard to hear what she was saying.

"Yes, I've got her. The Valkyrie. Yes sir, and the Colt." Shelby's jaw dropped. Her heart rate sped up so fast, she was sure any vamp within a one hundred mile radius could hear it. Smell her fear. Someone had found out about her. Who had? Sam was the only person that knew, besides Missouri. But if that crazy woman wouldn't even tell her, why would she let it slip to anyone else? If someone was coming to terrorize her, wouldn't she see it coming and run? Shelby shook her head clear of her thoughts as the woman barged through the door. She had hung her phone up before she came inside, and Shelby had zoned out before she could hear any more of the conversation.

The woman stopped about ten feet in front of Shelby. The fluorescent lights buzzed on slowly in the room, giving some artificial light to the dim room. The woman nodded at the grungy vamp that flipped the lights to close the door. She turned back around to Shelby and pulled out her phone. She snapped a quick picture before smiling towards the captured huntress. She dialed a number quickly and turned away from Shelby.

"Did you receive the picture? See. I told you it was her. She's aged some since the picture you have was taken. But it is her. I also have the Colt in my possession. I will be on my way with them both tomorrow morning. There's some unfinished business I need to attend to before we leave town. Don't need the men she was with following us to your location. Yes sir, thank you. I look forward to it." The woman smirked and turned back to Shelby. She took in the vampire's appearance while the older woman did the same to her.

She had slightly tanned, leathery skin. She must've laid out a lot while she was still human. Shelby could tell by the rosiness in the hag's cheeks that she had recently fed. Her green eyes trailed down to the woman's hands. She had long, perfectly manicured nails. Her eyes locked onto a gaudy silver ring with a ruby in the middle. That's how the woman got around in daylight. Shelby wasn't sure if Dean, Sam, and John had figured that out about vampires yet. The only reason she knew was from Damon. Thinking of the Master Vampire, Shelby's brain rapidly put together a plan. The woman sneered at Shelby, shaking her momentarily from her thoughts.

"It's a shame my associate wants you so bad. With the strength you have now, who knows how unstoppable you'd be as a vampire. But he's made me an offer I just can't refuse. Hard for us vampires to get a decent job around here. I couldn't believe how many zero's were next to your name." Shelby rolled her eyes. She needed the woman to leave so she could lure her guard over.

"Should I be proud at the amount of money my head will bring you?" She asked sarcastically. The woman sped over to Shelby and backhanded her. Hard. The stars had just started leaving her vision as the lead vampire slammed the door shut. Shelby eyed the guard. He had been young when he turned. He was grungy, like most vampires Shelby had met. She locked eyes with him after a few minutes of trying to get his attention. She nodded her head over to him and tried looking as attractive as she could strung up to the low ceiling. He fell for it. Typical guy.

"How much is this broad paying you to stand guard?" He looked around, not impressed. There was a slight flicker in his eyes that told Shelby his paycheck wouldn't be as much as he thought it should.

"You know how much money she's getting for me? I bet you it's over a million easy. Somethin' like me doesn't come around every day." His body shifted towards Shelby, and he crossed his arms, but nodded his head, signalling for Shelby to continue.

"I know someone who would pay you twice, hell, probably three times as much for my head. And I know he'd kill me quicker than who she's tryin' to sell it to. Whaddya say? Take all that cash for yourself? It'd be enough to make you disappear. That bitch, and whoever she's workin' for won't ever be able to find you. It'll buy you one of those rings she's got. The daylight ring? I know you'd love to have one of those." The vampire stood in front of her with his arms still crossed over his chest, his hip cocked. He stared hard at her for a minute or two. After what felt like forever, he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and looked at Shelby pointedly. She didn't miss a beat in telling the idiot the phone number that she had memorized so many summers ago.

 **-TOL-**

 **What did you think?! I've been stuck on this chapter for MONTHS. Finally my writing fire has been fueled. By what? I have no idea! But I'm glad it's back? Who do you think Shelby is gonna call? :) I'm excited to get writing next chapter. Thanks ya'll, Gooseygirl**


	14. Jealous

**Chapter 14: Jealous**

 ** _I don't like the way he's looking at you._**

 ** _I'm starting to think you want him too._**

 ** _Am I crazy, have I lost ya?_**

 ** _Even though I know you love me, can't help it._**

 ** _-Nick Jonas_**

Shelby shifted her position again, trying to get as comfortable as possible. The slackie vampire had made the call to the higher bidder a few minutes ago and had returned to his post by the door. Her buyer would be there in a few hours. The woman, who Shelby had figured out was called Vivian, had been in a few more times throughout the day, checking on Shelby and the guard. It seemed she didn't trust him all that well. Shelby smirked to herself; that bitch will get what's coming to her.

It had been about two hours since the phone call when Vivian walked into the room once again. She had changed clothes and pulled her hair into a bun at the top of her head. It did not do well on her appearance. Vivian didn't seem to care.

"Well, it's about time for my associates to finish off what your boys couldn't earlier. Anything you want me to pass on before I drain them?" Shelby decided not to say anything to the vampire. She was not looking forward to another hit to the head. She was pretty sure she had a concussion. The pain from her bleeding wrists was the only thing keeping her from passing out after Vivian had smacked her last time. Vivian didn't seem to think that silence was an appropriate answer this time either, it seemed.

 _Smack._

Shelby sucked in a big breath and closed her eyes. She was afraid to open them; she didn't want to puke all over the monster in front of her. Something told her Vivian wouldn't care if she was still alive for that buyer if that happened.

Vivian stepped back from Shelby momentarily before she started walking around her, as if checking over a colt before writing a check. Shelby heard the vampire move to her left and decided that now was as good a time as any to open her eyes. The nausea had subsided a bit but she still had to even her breathing out to keep it in check. When would he be here?

"After we're done with them we will be leaving. We have to meet your buyer tomorrow morning and I want to be on the road in two hours." The slackie nodded curtly to Vivian and shuffled his booted feet, slightly nervous. Vivian brushed it off easily, not having much faith in the slackie's intelligence. Shelby smirked at that.

-TOL-

Dean sped down the old country road. He was fuming. His father, the man he looked up to all these years, had lied to him. Not just a small white lie. This was a huge lie. The colt was more than just some old gun. This was the gun that could kill the demon that destroyed the Winchesters' lives. Kill, not just send back to hell. John looked solemnly at his eldest son, trying to think of what to say next. He glanced back at Sam, who was sitting calmly in the back seat, hands between his legs, clasped together tightly. John took a hard breath before continuing.

"Look, guys. I don't know what these vamps would want with the Colt, unless they're working for someone higher up. And I certainly don't know why they would kidnap Shelby if they already had it. It makes as much sense to me as it does to you." John let out a long breath. That was it. He didn't know what else to say. He was worried for Shelby. And his gun. He was so God damn close to finishing what this cursed demon had started. When Dean and Sam didn't reply, he turned toward the window and sighed, yet again.

Sam was clenching his jaw so hard he swore he felt a few molars move. He wasn't surprised when Dean didn't acknowledge their dad. To be honest, he didn't really want to acknowledge him at the moment either. Not after the atomic bomb of information John dropped on them. His mind was reeling with all the possible places Shelby could be. They were currently blindly driving around the countryside of rural Colorado. Would the vampires find another deserted barn to hide out in? Or would they head into town? The hunters in the speeding car went for the former option. But Sam was starting to think that they might have better luck trying in town. That was the last place they would normally think to look for a nest of vamps. And to be honest, this band of vampires seemed a little higher up on the IQ scale than normal.

Just as Sam was about to voice his opinion, he felt a faint vibration come from between the seats under where he was sitting. His large hand searched for a quick moment before he grasped onto what felt like a phone. The gears in his mind clicked as he realized it must have been Shelby's. The face on the caller i.d. was slightly familiar to Sam, from a time long past. Shelby had mentioned him recently though, late one night while discussing her family heritage.

-TOL-

 _"Sam, if I tell you something will you promise to keep it to yourself?" Shelby looked between the youngest Winchester beside her on the couch to the elder one asleep on one of the motel beds nervously. Sam calculated that she was making sure Dean was asleep. He nodded slowly, halfway nervous about what she had to say. Her small, relieved smile was almost lost on Sam as she nodded towards the door. He followed her quietly._

 _Once outside, she grabbed his left arm and laced it through her right, leaving both their respective shooting hands available. Sam smirked to himself. She never stops being aware; always prepared. He matched her pace as she led them down the sidewalk, towards the dim lights of the sleepy town, her eyes not leaving the ground._

 _"So…" Sam decided after a few minutes of silence it wouldn't hurt to try to coax something out of her. It worked._

 _"My family has a lot of friends. Some of them you know." Sam was so confused. What was this about? She took a breath and he waited for her to continue._

 _"A lot of them are friends with my moms family. Which you know she's from Virginia…" It seemed she was having trouble forming a complete thought. Poor girl. He felt bad but he didn't know a way to help her. So he gripped her muscular arm a bit tighter in reassurance._

 _"I have no fucking idea how to say this gracefully." She shook her head._

 _"You don't have to Shelby. It's just me."_

 _"My family is close friends with the Supernatural." What?_

 _"Like THE supernatural. Like monsters. Only not all of them are bad. Monsters I mean. Well none of the monsters we know are bad. Or else they would be dead. Jesus. Sam please say something so I don't keep babbling like a fucking dumbass." Sam honestly didn't know what to say. Obviously he trusted Shelby and her family. They had never led him astray before. All the family friends of Shelby's that he could remember were always so kind to his family._

 _"Okay." Shelby stopped suddenly and tore her arm out of Sam's grip._

 _"That's it?!" She said rather drastically. Sam smiled a bit wider at her comical face. One eyebrow was shot up almost to the hairline of her forehead, and her chin was doubled up as her mouth opened and closed a few times before speaking again._

 _"Well that went a hell of a lot better than I planned."_

 _"I'm pretty easy Shelb. You should know that." Sam laughed a bit at the joke. Shelby smiled. Good, he thought. She was relaxing._

 _"So who are they?"_

 _"Well, a lot of them we only talk to when we need favors or have questions specifically regarding their species of big-bads. But one group that you do know we were around a lot more than most. And I still talk with them a lot. Hell, I practically grew up around them even after my mom passed away. I'd spend some months there while you were at school too." Shelby seemed to be trying to still figure out how to spit out which group she was talking about. But Sam already figured it out._

 _"Damon?" Bingo._

 _"Don't tell Dean. He already doesn't like the guy. Super jealous. But Damon has been a huge help to my family. His whole group of vampires are great friends of mine." Sam nodded towards the girl standing in front of him, who suddenly looked like she was 10 years old instead of 25. He couldn't believe how nervous she was. It almost made him laugh out loud. Almost._

 _"As long as they help us fight the good fight, and are good to you, then I honestly don't care. You should know that Shelby. I'm not like my dad or brother." Shelby looked down from Sam's hazel eyes at that comment. Suddenly feeling immensely guilty. Sam seemed to notice and swept her up in an enormous bear hug, lifting her boot clad feet off the ground._

 _"I'm sorry," Sam mumbled into Shelby's shoulder,_

 _"That was a douchebag thing to say." He continued, trying to make up for his stupid mouth not filtering what was going through his mind._

 _"It's okay," Shelby replied into Sam's chest._

 _"Can you let me down, it's getting hard to breathe." The last of the sentence ended in a laugh, letting Sam know she was only halfway joking. He set her down gently, trying not to let his hands linger on her hips too long._

 _"Think we should head back now? Or are you still scared after your big secret; that honestly isn't even that bad." Sam jabbed Shelby's sides with his fingers, eliciting a small giggle from the brown haired girl. She punched him lightly in the left bicep._

 _"Yeah, let's go, dork." They walked in silence until they came to stand in front of the motel door again._

 _"Hey Sam. Thanks. For letting me get that off my chest… And not making a big deal out of it." Shelby smiled tentatively up to Sam, who returned her smile in gusto._

 _"Anytime."_

-TOL-

Damon smirked as he walked casually to the metal door; guards long forgotten at the entrance to the building. He could smell her just inside; more blood than should be noticeable on someone, unless they were wounded. His smirk faded as his normally ocean blue eyes turned a sickly blood red. His fangs threatened to poke through his gums at the thought of her being injured. As he went to break the door down, he sensed another person he thought had disappeared forever. This should be fun.

"Took you long enough." Shelby smirked as she peeked a glance towards the door as it flew off its hinges. Her vision was getting blurrier by the moment, Vivian having more fun than Shelby had anticipated before she went looking for the boys.

"Yeah, well, with hair like mine I've got to be careful with how fast I run; don't want an early receding hairline, ya know?" Damon joked lightly with Shelby as he carefully eyed the two vampires in the room. Shelby smirked and kept her head low; eyes glancing up every once in a while as Damon talked deeply to the vampire in front of her.

"Vivian… Long time no see, huh? I thought you disappeared. That wasn't very nice not to visit." Damon walked languidly towards the center of the dim warehouse room. Hands in his pockets, waiting for Vivian to turn around. When she did, he was met with quite the worried look on the older vampires face.

If Vivian had a pumping heart, it would have been skipping beats at the sound of Damon's sultry voice. She hadn't thought she would ever see him again. Trying to stay on this side of the country proved to be fruitless in the end. She should have known the Master Vampire would have found out about her eventually.

"Damon. I, uh, what brings you here?"

"I got a call a few hours ago about a rare specimen that I might like to add to my collection." Vivian's eyes grew wide and first turned to the slackie vamp in the corner, who seemed to be sweating and shuffling nervously, eyeing the door, before sharply turning her blood red eyes back to Shelby. Before she could launch herself towards the young girl, Damon whizzed past her and planted his booted feet firmly in between the two women.

"So, who were you expecting?" Damon had an amused tilt to his voice, despite being slightly worried about Shelby; her heart beat was slower than it should have been, and there were a few cuts adorning her tanned skin that were worrying him. He needed to get her out of here soon.

Vivian looked towards the ground nervously. Trying to think up a lie to tell the vampire in front of her. Damon was in no mood for games today. He wanted answers. He flew towards Vivian faster than Shelby's eyes could perceive. Once her vision stopped spinning for a moment, she watched as Damon squeezed tightly on Vivian's throat. She lowered her head back down as she listened to Damon's monotone voice.

"Tell me Vivian, who were you expecting?" Shelby imagined Damon's pupils flaring, his eyelids squinting ever so slightly as he compelled Vivian. Being a Master Vampire allowed him all sorts of tricks that usually didn't work on other vampires. Shelby thought she heard Vivian mumble a name out and a small gasp, but before she could even react to the squelchy sound of Damon pressing his fist through the old vampire's chest and ripping out the heart, her vision and hearing a deserted her, leaving her to memories of years past.

-TOL-

 _"Wow, that is so neat Damon!" An 18-year-old Shelby giggled as Damon tried his hardest to compel the young hunter. His gaze flickered across her smiling face as he tried to figure out why she couldn't be compelled. He couldn't smell any vervain on her. And she doubted that Colt had made her drink it. Plus, knowing her she probably would have declined it anyway, arguing her blind faith towards Damon and his friends. He smirked as he leaned back towards his side of the small love seat the two were sharing._

 _"Well you know me. Always trying to impress beautiful women." Shelby laughed loudly and smacked his arm lightly. Taking another sip from her margarita glass._

 _"Whatever." Shelby crossed her legs over each other and kept a playful look in her eyes as she waited for Damon to speak again._

 _"It is strange though. I should be able to compel anyone. It absolutely boggles my mind that you remain unaffected." His eyes moved over Shelby's features, opening expressing his confusion. Shelby, feeling his heavy gaze, looked around the sun porch timidly. Lately Damon had been acting strange around her, well stranger than usual. Especially since Dean had come to stay in her mom's family's old house, which Damon kept tidy when no one was occupying it. Deciding it was silly to be acting like a young schoolgirl around this man, Shelby took a deep breath and spoke her rebuttal to his earlier comment._

 _"Maybe it's that weird eye thing you're doing along with it." Although Damon heard the laugh in her voice, he still sent a playful glare her way. Shelby laughed once again, taking another sip of the margarita Damon had made for her. As Damon talked animatedly about something silly Stefan had done the other day, Shelby's mind wandered._

 _Since coming back to Mystic Falls earlier in the summer, tensions had been high between the Winchesters and her group of friends from the small town. John and Colt took off shortly after dropping the kids off, deciding they needed some time away from the teenagers. That had in turn pissed Dean off, who wanted to go hunting with the men, and Sam who wanted to stay close to Bobby's house to attend summer school. Shelby hadn't minded, she hadn't seen a lot of the people she grew up with in a while._

 _Damon and Stefan were on that list. They hadn't aged a day. But Shelby had, and Damon had noticed. Shelby didn't particularly mind the compliments and endless flirting Damon sent her way. Actually, come to think of it, she really appreciated it. She deserved some attention. She took another long sip of margarita. She thought it was quite funny watching Dean get jealous around the dark haired man who always seemed to be hovering around Shelby._

 _When they weren't vying for Shelby's attention, they were at each other's throats. It was rather comical. Even if she didn't have deep feelings for Damon, what could it hurt? Dean never really showed any romantic interest in her, which was confusing with how jealous he had been acting, and despite that circumstance pulling at her heartstrings just a tad, Shelby had come to terms with it. So why couldn't she have a little fun? Margaritas were fun. Another sip. Damon seemed like he could have fun. Another sip._

 _"Shelby? Hello? Are you still with me?" Damon waved a pale hand in front of Shelby's green eyes. She raised them back quickly to Damon's blue ones, biting her lip. Damon looked down at Shelby's lips as she placed her third empty margarita glass down on the wicker table in front of the couch._

 _"Ya know Damon. You are really cute." Shelby giggled a little as she said this. Damon smirked and let her continue, interested to see what she had to say._

 _"I've been bored lately. And, I think, since I'm back in town we should have a bit of fun. Whaddya say?" Shelby wiggled her eyebrows expressively towards the vampire, who couldn't help the laugh that came out of his mouth._

 _"Shelby, as much as I'd love to see what that pretty little mouth of yours can do, I don't think that would be a good idea under these circumstances." Damon leaned closer as he was talking, meeting Shelby in the middle of the couch. She put her hand on his thigh and squeezed gently. Damon hissed slightly, and opened his mouth to say more._

 _"Shelby, come on let's-" Mid sentence, Shelby had pounced onto Damon's lap. Straddling him. Her hands were around his neck, gripping his hair slightly._

 _"Damon, I know you want me. And I finally have enough balls to go for it, so why are you hesitating. I'm not even that drunk." Shelby leaned back, waiting for Damon's response to her reasoning. She knew what kind of guy he was. He would fuck anything with two legs and a vagina normally. Why was he suddenly acting like a shy little boy?_

 _Damon thought for a second. Could he do this? Could he handle being alone again after she left at the end of the summer? He wasn't sure, but the heavy amount of alcohol flowing through his veins gave him the extra push he didn't particularly want._

 _"Oh, fuck it." Damon said quietly before he closed the gap between him and Shelby. Her lips were as soft as he'd imagined. Warm, so warm. She gripped the back of his shirt tightly and moaned as he slid his tongue along her lower lip. Just like that, her warm lips were ripped out of his reach._

 _"What the fuck?!" Shelby screeched. Damon sat, still in a slight haze and missing the warmth of the girl now currently being held behind that green eyed hunter who always seemed to be in a bad mood._

 _"We're leaving."_

 _"What the fuck? Can you not see I was busy?"_

 _"Keyword there is, 'were'." Dean turned from Shelby to face Damon, who was still seated. Damon could sense the jealousy coming off of this guy. The look in his emerald eyes reminded him of himself from a time long ago. He sighed and stood up, realizing that there was no point in trying to argue with someone so deeply in love. It would never stop them. He knew, because even though he cared deeply for Shelby and could see himself loving her, he wasn't sure if his feelings for her could ever surpass his feelings for Katherine. He remembered how he looked at her years ago; the same way Dean looked towards Shelby. Shelby might not really understand Dean's emotions, as he wasn't showing them in the best way, but she would._

 _"Shelby, I-" Damon felt his head jerk back sharply. He was not expecting the boy to punch him. Especially that damn hard. For a human, Damon gave him credit. To keep up his rouse of being human, Damon fell back onto the wicker couch, letting the blood seep from his nose slowly._

 _"You don't get to talk. Shelby we're leaving." Dean turned to Shelby and grabbed her arm gently. The alcohol running through her veins had intensified since standing up, making her feel more sluggish. She didn't give much of a fight towards Dean, but looked back solemnly at Damon._

 _"Don't let this one go Shelby. He is definitely a keeper." Damon winked playfully at Shelby to let her know he was okay. Shelby only looked strangely from Damon to Dean. Dean rolled his eyes and picked Shelby up bridal style when she wouldn't move from her spot in the middle of the room._

-TOL-

John and Dean had ignored Sam's movements as he tried to maneuver the phone out of the seats, though their attention was quickly diverted to the youngest Winchester as he spoke shakily from the backseat. While the other two persons in the vehicle didn't know whom Sam was talking to, Sam did. The severity of the situation at hand came crashing down on his chest as he muttered a shaky greeting to one of the strongest Master Vampire's in the country.

Damon didn't humor anyone with pleasantries. He simply listed off the address of a hotel about an hour drive from their current location and hung up. Sam hurriedly grasped for a spare pen out of the back pocket of the front seat, writing down the address and room number on the back of his hand. He looked up nervously from his hand to the men up front. Dean had pulled over on the shoulder of the deserted highway to pay attention to Sam as he had spoke with the mystery person on Shelby's phone.

"What was that all about?" John decided to speak since neither of his sons had.

"I think I know where Shelby is." Dean's hard green eyes snapped to his brother's hand quickly. He had seen him write something down after the phone call ended. It hadn't been Shelby on the phone, or else Sam would have said so. He had said, 'might have known', where she was. That was better than nothing. Dean threw the Impala into drive and sped down the highway with fire in his eyes as Sam read off directions from the GPS on his phone.

About an hour after the mysterious phone call, Dean found himself angrily trudging down a dimly lit hallway in some casino hotel, looking for room 506. Sam still wouldn't tell him who the other person was, and Dean couldn't readily guess who it could be. 500, 502, Dean's pace picked up. 504. 506. The three Winchesters stopped in front of the gold plated lettering.

"Sure you don't wanna tell me who was on the phone Sam?" Sam met Dean's green eyes and shook his head quickly and rather animatedly towards his older brother. Hell no he did not want to tell him who rescued Shelby. He would find out soon enough. Dean knocked hard three times on the cream colored door and tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for it to open, ready to give a huge hug to whoever had saved his girl.

Those thoughts immediately left his mind when he met strikingly blue eyes on the other side of the doorframe. Thankful green eyes turned murderous in mere milliseconds. What the fuck was he doing here? How did he get to Shelby before Dean had? This guy lived across the country. That was not fair. Dean shook his head slightly. He didn't need to worry about this guy right now. He needed to worry about Shelby. He shoved past Damon roughly and crossed the floor quickly to the plush bed. Damon smirked his way before turning back to the other men and stepped aside, letting John and Sam in.

"Nice to see you too Dean-o." Damon said playfully towards the man sitting on the bed. Damon watched as John and Sam walked quickly to the side of the bed, checking to make sure Shelby was okay. Damon shut the hotel room door softly and turned towards the men coddling Shelby.

"What, no thanks for saving your precious hunter?" Damon wondered how long he would have to wait for the punch he received after that question. He wiped the blood away from his mouth with his white shirtsleeve and smirked at Dean, who was glaring murderously towards the vampire. Sam stood up all the way and walked towards the two men, stepping in between them forcefully.

"Now is not the time Dean," Sam glared hard at his older brother, willing him to go back towards the sleeping girl. He turned towards Damon with a thankful smile on his face; it took almost everything he had not to hug the guy for saving Shelby. He didn't want to think of the outcome had Damon not been there.

"Thank you Damon. So much. I don't think you know how much this means to us."

"Eh, no big deal. I was in the neighborhood. And you guys know me; can't resist a damsel in distress." He finished with a smirk as John turned quickly towards him; no doubt wondering if the damsel was the only thing he rescued from the rogue vampire pack.

"I heard you've been looking for this as well." Damon stepped towards the TV stand and opened a drawer, revealing the Colt. John's hands itched nervously to touch it. Damon scowled slightly at the sweat forming on the older hunters hands as he passed the gun over. Selfish one, he concluded. Dean rolled his eyes at his father. Figures. Sam cleared his throat tightly and gestured to the sleeping Shelby, who had no visible marks on her.

"What did they do to her? She looks untouched. The guys who grabbed her seemed pretty rough. I would have thought that she would be in worse condition- I'm glad she isn't but… I'm just curious is all? Sorry." Damon painted a pleasant look of relieved surprise on his face as he answered Sam.

"I would have thought the same thing. Apparently this person who wanted her brought to him requested that she be untouched. So she was off limits. And before you ask, yes I have a name, no I don't know why he wants her, no I don't know where he is or how to find him, and yes all the big bad vampires are dead." Damon let out a breath at the end of his little speech, quite smug with himself. He could feel Dean's jealousy coming off him in waves. He loved getting this kid all riled up.

"Well thank you. So much, again Damon. What, uh, what was the guys name?" Sam spoke the question he and his brother were both wondering.

"Magnus."

"That's it?" Dean asked roughly. Why would anyone want Shelby? What had she done? Was it something her parents had gotten in and now someone wanted payback? He turned to his father, knowing he knew more about her parents than anyone in this room.

"Do you recognize the name dad? Someone that Colt or Amelia might've gotten mixed up with that wants revenge?" John shook his head solemnly before looking over to Damon with a questioning gaze. Damon thought a bit at the name.

"Never heard of the guy. I'll ask a few friends back home though; look into it. Listen, hate to cut this short, but I probably should be heading out." Damon didn't want to be around Shelby anymore. He still had some feelings for her and while feeling very protective over her and not wanting to leave her at the moment, he knew she was in safe hands with Dean. And it'd be easier to leave if he didn't have to say goodbye to her.

"Damon?" A soft voice came from underneath the plush comforter. Damon closed his eyes at her voice. Dean rushed over to Shelby again and pushed a glass of water sitting on the side table in her face, trying to be as helpful as he could. Shelby took a small sip before setting the glass down and flinging herself out of bed. She put a hand on Dean's shoulder as he looked her up and down. His ears were getting red as he realized that she was clad only in a bra, panties, and what appeared to be Damon's suit jacket. Shelby's calming touch did its job, as he stayed seated as she stepped over to Damon.

"Her clothes were all dirty and smelly. I've sent them to the laundry room. Should be back in an hour or two from housekeeping." Damon answered Dean's anger nonchalantly. Smirking on the inside. Too funny this guy was.

Sam put a hand on Dean's chest as Shelby stood on her tiptoes and flung her arms around Damon's neck tightly. He stood stock still for a moment before wrapping his muscular arms around Shelby's middle and squeezing her softly. His face buried in her hair for a moment and he took her scent in.

"I can't believe you weren't going to say goodbye. Jerk." Damon's eyes moved towards Dean's as he spoke.

"You know me sweetheart. I'm the biggest jerk." He put a smile on his face as they pulled away from each other. He met Shelby's eyes for a split second before she landed a chaste kiss on his cold cheek. His eyes darted up to Dean's once again as he watched the hunter push past his brother and gently grab Shelby from his grasp. Old habits die hard he guessed.

As Shelby scolded Dean with her eyes, Damon decided he really did need to leave. He had some research to do. And he didn't want to be around Shelby and Dean any longer. It hurt too much.

"Well, thank you. I don't know what I would do without your jerkiness." Shelby had a bright smile on her face as she leaned languidly into Dean's side. Damon nodded.

"The hotel room is yours for the next two nights if you want it. So have fun." Shelby and Sam smiled their thanks again as Damon bid everyone a farewell and made his way out the door. Dean pulled Shelby into a breathtaking hug and buried his face into the crook of her neck roughly, praying that the tears he'd been holding back since seeing her unharmed would not fall.

"I thought I lost you Shelby."

"You didn't. I'm okay."


End file.
